Top officials of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), including chairman Richard Thompson, have suggested that staging the Champions Trophy without powerhouse India is not an option and there are “contingencies available” if Rohit Sharma’s team doesn’t travel to host country Pakistan.
India have not played in Pakistan since 2008 due to the tense relations between the two countries and their travel to the South Asian nation is solely dependent on government clearance.
With the government unlikely to give the BCCI permission to send the team to Lahore, the Champions Trophy in a hybrid model seems the most likely option. Like the Asia Cup last year, India can play their matches in a third country while the other games can be staged in Pakistan.
The tournament will be held in February-March.
“It would not be in cricket’s interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy,” Thompson, who is in Pakistan alongside ECB CEO Richard Gould, was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
The decision on India’s travel to Champions Trophy could be taken before current BCCI secretary Jay Shah takes charge of the International Cricket Council in December. Shah was elected as ICC chairman in August.
“It’s interesting, with Jay Shah – the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC – (who) is going to have a big role to play in that. There’s geopolitics, and then there’s cricketing geopolitics. I think they’ll find a way. They have to find a way,” said Thompson.
ECB CEO Gould added: “If you play the Champions Trophy without India, or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them.
“They (Pakistan) are the host nation. We’ve seen the developments going on, and we’re all waiting to understand whether India are going to travel. That’s the key.
“We think there are some discussions and relationships where they need to be. I know Pakistan are expecting India to travel. There are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available if that doesn’t happen.”
India and Pakistan play each other in multi team events like the World Cup and Asia Cup.
“There are always security concerns in this part of the world when those two countries play each other. 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 Thompson.
Though top teams have visited Pakistan recently, the country last hosted an ICC event in 1996, when it co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
Thompson expects a decision on India’s participation in the tournament would be taken in the 11th hour.
“That’s between India and Pakistan, and I think they will find a way where India will participate in the Champions Trophy… These things tend to go to the wire, as history has shown us, so I think that in those [last] six months, they’ll find a way,” he said.
The event will feature eight teams including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
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