Karachi. Whether the Indian team will go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2024 or not is still not decided. The BCCI has not yet given any official information about this. Meanwhile, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Khalid Mahmood believes that India will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy early next year.
He said, “It is very unlikely that they will agree to play in Pakistan. If India does not tour Pakistan, it will be a loss deal for PCB and ICC. India is the richest cricket board and has a lot of influence. If they do not send their team to Pakistan, then I think countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will also follow their path.”
He further said, “If India does not tour Pakistan, the revenue of the Champions Trophy will be affected. The cost of organizing it will increase and the profit will be reduced. At this stage you can only put your side strongly and try to convince other boards to support you. India has a lot of influence in the ICC, so adopting a tit for tat strategy will not benefit Pakistan.” Let us tell you that Mahmood has visited India twice in 1989 and 1999 as Pakistan’s junior and senior team manager.
He said, “When the BCCI says that it cannot send its team and will play its matches outside Pakistan, it defeats the purpose of hosting an ICC event for Pakistan. The PCB should follow its policy of not mixing sports and politics.”
Tags: Champions Trophy, PCB Chairman
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 21, 2024, 08:55 IST
