Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has supported the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for rejecting the hybrid model for the upcoming Champions Trophy to be hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Team. The veteran all-rounders has blamed Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) for mixing politics with sports and claimed it as unfair tactics. Afridi also wants the ICC to look into this matter and resolve it in favor of cricket.
The ICC Board will meet on Friday to decide the schedule for the Champions Trophy. The BCCI has informed ICC that the Indian team cannot play in Pakistan because the Indian government has not approved it. However, the PCB is not willing to host the entire tournament outside Pakistan, which has created uncertainty about the event.
Not only this, the former all-rounder remembered that his Pakistan has travelled to India for five times since the Mumbai terror attack.
Shahid Afridi Opinion On BCCI And Champions Trophy
Afridi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “By intertwining politics with sports, the BCCI has placed international cricket in a precarious position. Fully support the PCB’s stance against the hybrid model – especially since Pakistan (despite security concerns) has toured India five times, including a bilateral white-ball series, post-26/11. It’s time for the ICC and its Board of Directors to uphold fairness and assert their authority.”
By intertwining politics with sports, the BCCI has placed international cricket in a precarious position. Fully support the PCB's stance against the hybrid model – especially since Pakistan (despite security concerns) has toured India five times, including a bilateral white-ball… pic.twitter.com/Xl4YBhCWuB
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 28, 2024
The Champions Trophy is planned to take place in three venues in Pakistan in February and March next year. However, India, who last toured Pakistan in 2008, informed the ICC that their government has not allowed them to travel to Pakistan for the same tournament.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the board is clear about hosting the Champions Trophy. He also said, “It’s unfair if Pakistan plays in India, but India won’t play in Pakistan.”
“Our stance is very clear. I promise we’ll do what is best for Pakistan cricket. I’m constantly in touch with the ICC chairman and my team is talking to them constantly. We’re still clear in our stance that it’s not acceptable that we play cricket in India, and they don’t play cricket here. Whatever will happen, will happen on the basis of equality. We’ve told the ICC very clearly, and what happens next we’ll let you know,” Naqvi said during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium.
