Pakistan Cricket Board agrees to adopt hybrid model for Champions Trophy: Reports

The Indian and Pakistani cricket boards have agreed to play future ICC tournaments in a hybrid model, a decision that may end the deadlock over hosting Champions Trophy next year.

Pakistan is set to host the ICC event in 2025.

The future of the tournament remained uncertain after India decided not to send its team to Pakistan citing security reasons.

The two boards held dialogue on Saturday after the International Cricket Council had convened a meeting on Friday and came to a consensus on a hybrid model for the Feb 19-March 9 Champions Trophy after the Indian government refused to allow its team to travel to Pakistan but the PCB has stressed that it will also like the same model to be applied for its team when tournaments are held on the other side of the border in the next three years, reported BCCI.

India is scheduled to host several ICC events in the upcoming years including the 50-over World Cup in 2031.

The final approval on the hybrid model will be given by ICC.

Pakistan had travelled to India for the 50-over World Cup last year.

India, however, did not travel to the neighbouring nation and opted to play their matches in Sri Lanka during Asia Cup.

This is the first major ICC event Pakistan is hosting since it co-hosted the World Cup in 1996.

“Yes the past experience is bitter for Pakistan and the ICC has to give a solid guarantee that the hybrid model will be implemented in letter and spirit in future and no Pakistan team will go to India to play any matches of the ICC events and on the same pattern the Indian team will not come to Pakistan” a source in the PCB told Dawn.