The ICC has come up with a solution to organize next year’s Champions Trophy in a fair manner. An attempt has been made to keep the minds of both India and Pakistan in mind. Questions are being raised around this decision of the ICC.
Next year’s Champions Trophy will be in a hybrid model. All countries except India will play on Pakistani soil. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli will play in a neutral country. The country where India’s matches will be held has not been finalized. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had to accept one condition to convince the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to accept the hybrid model of the Champions Trophy. It has been decided that India and Pakistan will play their matches in neutral centers in all ICC competitions until 2028. That is, the PCB will not have to send teams to India. Could the rest of the cricket world be unsettled by this decision of the ICC to maintain the cricketing status quo in the Indian subcontinent? Questions have started to arise in the cricket world.
The cricket world fears that this decision of the ICC may have an impact on the rest of the countries. If India and Pakistan play in neutral countries, the other teams in the competition will have to travel more than necessary. They will also have to go to other countries to play one or two matches. This will increase the physical strain on the cricketers. Naturally, other countries in the cricket world may be unhappy with this decision of the ICC. As happened in the 2023 Asia Cup. That time too, the BCCI did not agree to send a team to Pakistan. India’s matches were held in Sri Lanka As a result, the other teams in the competition had to travel to Pakistan and Sri Lanka to play the competition. Apart from the fatigue of the tour, the teams faced another problem. That is, the weather and pitch characteristics of the two countries are different. Therefore, Bangladesh and Nepal had to face problems in adapting to the weather and pitch. Afghanistan only got the opportunity to play two of their matches in Pakistan.
Bangladesh immediately objected to the matter. An official of the Bangladesh Cricket Board said with annoyance, We are practically helpless in this situation. We played the first match of the competition in Sri Lanka. We had to go to Pakistan to play the second match. We had to return to Sri Lanka for the next two matches. We have to abide by the decision of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). To ensure that there are no problems in the team’s tour, the ACC has arranged special flights. This arrangement has been made for all the teams that have to play matches in two countries.” However, a section of the cricket community expressed concern about the increase in the burden of air travel for cricketers. The BCB also did not hide its annoyance. They said, “Traveling more than necessary increases the problems. We have to go to the airport two hours before the flight. We have to carry bags and kits. The distance between Sri Lanka and Pakistan by air is not very short. Even though it is a lot of trouble, we have nothing to do. What is the option but to comply with the ACC’s decision !
Six countries participated in the 2023 Asia Cup. There will be 20 countries in the 2026 T20 World Cup. According to the competition structure, 12 countries each may have to play India and Pakistan. All those countries will have to travel to both countries. Will so many countries accept the ICC’s decision without hesitation? The question has been raised since the ICC’s announcement. The eight best countries in one-day cricket will play in the Champions Trophy. They are all full members of the ICC. But many new countries can play in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Will the new countries accept such rules? If several countries object to unnecessary tours, the ICC’s efforts to globalize cricket could be hit. New countries could lose interest as a result of such an unscientific decision. It is not that the ICC officials did not think about it. The fear was also discussed among them during the discussions on the hybrid model of next year’s Champions Trophy. However, for now they have not found an alternative.
If this problem continues due to regional politics, the ICC should look for a long-term solution. This was the tone heard from representatives of several countries at the last ICC board meeting. Before giving the responsibility of organizing the competition to any country, it is necessary to take the opinion of all member countries. Discussions should also be held with the television companies that have the broadcasting rights of the relevant competition. A decision should be made after knowing the opinions of the cricket boards, advertisers, television broadcasters and cricketers of all countries. Otherwise, a section of the cricket world feels that there may be a big problem in organizing the competition in the future.
It is not only about creating consensus among all the parties involved. The financial profit and loss aspect of the competition also has to be taken into consideration. Organizing the competition in a hybrid model increases the cost immensely. This harms the ICC and the cricket boards of the respective countries. There is also a possibility of a decrease in the profits of the television channels broadcasting the competition or a loss. In addition, due to the impasse for the Champions Trophy, the schedule has not yet been confirmed. Ticket sales have not started. Like the cricketers, cricket fans are also suffering from uncertainty. If this happens again and again, a section of cricket fans may lose interest in going to the field to watch the game.
Pingback: Vivo Phone: Vivo's Latest 5G Smartphone Launched in India