ICC cancels Champions Trophy tour in PoK after BCCI's objection
What's the story
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has called off the 2025 Champions Trophy tour in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) raised an objection. The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) initial plan was to take the trophy to Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad, but the decision has now been overturned by the ICC. Here's what happened.
Objection raised
BCCI's strong objection to PCB's plan
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has lodged a strong protest with the ICC over PCB's plans to take the Champions Trophy in PoK. A source told TimesofIndia.com, "Jay Shah has objected to that tweet [post] and has criticized and condemned PCB's plan to take the trophy to PoK cities." The source added, "Additionally, PCB has no business sharing the schedule because it has to come from the ICC."
Schedule disclosure
PCB's premature announcement of trophy tour
The ICC was yet to finalize the plan for the coveted trophy tour when the PCB prematurely announced the schedule. This move caught the ICC off guard, as they were still in the process of finalizing details. The global cricket body would have shared updates via appropriate ICC channels once plans were finalized.
Arrival
Trophy arrives in Pakistan amid ICC's response
Despite the ICC not announcing the final schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy, Pakistan scheduled the trophy's tour of the country, starting November 16. This comes at a time when the ICC await a response from the PCB over hosting this tournament in a hybrid model. This happened due to India's refusal to visit Pakistan for the tournament.