The ECB has confirmed that the Champions Trophy will not be played without India, regardless of whether the Indian team travels to Pakistan. Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chief executive and chair, said that “lots of different alternatives and contingencies” are available if India does not travel. However, they emphasized that India’s participation is paramount for the success of the Champions Trophy.
Champions Trophy without India?
The BCCI did not send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year due to strained relations between the two countries. The tournament was shifted to a hybrid model with India’s matches staged in Sri Lanka. Last year, Pakistan participated fully in the ODI World Cup in India, where they even failed to qualify for the semis.
The final decision over whether or not India travels to Pakistan will rest on whether or not the Indian government grants the team permission to do so. The ECB’s chair, Richard Thompson, said that “there are always security concerns” in the region when India and Pakistan play each other. However, he expressed hope that the two countries could find a way to make the tournament happen. “That will probably drive the key decisions. But I know relationships between the two countries are as amicable as they can be at the moment: we saw it play out at the [men’s T20] World Cup in New York.,” said the ECB official to ESPNcricinfo.
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Broadcasting rights to act as a merger between India & Pakistan?
The ECB’s chief executive, Richard Gould, said that cricket’s dependence on broadcast rights as a revenue stream ensured both India and Pakistan would feature in the Champions Trophy. He added that “there are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available” if India does not travel. “There are a variety of different options available if those circumstances come along. But also, when was the last time Pakistan hosted any kind of ICC trophy? This is a big moment for the country, and hopefully we can have the fullest possible competition in Pakistan. If that’s not possible, we know there are options available. If you play the Champions Trophy without India, or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them,” he said.
The PCB’s position remains unchanged, with their wish to see the entirety of the tournament played in Pakistan. Fixtures for the Champions Trophy have not been published by the ICC, but the PCB has submitted a draft schedule to the ICC. This schedule would see the tournament run from February 19 to March 9, with India playing all of its matches in Lahore. The Champions Trophy will feature eight teams, with two groups of four followed by semi-finals and a final. The competing teams are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
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