Although discussions are ongoing and the situation remains fluid, Pakinomist understands that the PCB made its proposal over the weekend at meetings with the ICC and BCCI in Dubai. In it, they called for a fair and long-term agreement extending beyond the 2025 Champions Trophy, with reciprocal provisions for Pakistan to play outside India during global events held there. It has not yet been decided whether such provisions will apply for the next three years or until the end of the current entitlement cycle in 2031.

“A unilateral arrangement is no longer acceptable. It cannot be that we keep going to India but they don’t visit Pakistan. Whatever happens must be on the basis of equality.”

While the BCCI remains tight-lipped, it suggests that it may not be willing to agree to adopt a hybrid model for its tournaments. In either case, the ICC board will meet again and examine the PCB proposal before taking a final decision on the Champions Trophy. And both PCB and BCCI need to have this decision ratified by their individual governments. The ICC has tentatively penciled in December 5 as a date for that meeting.

The options on the table for the tournament remain the same as they were when the board met briefly last week, otherwise – that the tournament will either be based on a hybrid model with India playing its games outside Pakistan; that the entire tournament is held in another country; or that the tournament goes ahead without India.

At that meeting last week, it was decided to give the PCB time to hold separate talks with the BCCI to find a solution after the latter told the ICC that the Indian government had refused permission for the Indian team to travel to Pakistan. Last Friday, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said “security concerns” meant India was unwilling to travel. “BCCI has issued a statement, so I will refer you to it,” the spokesperson said during a press briefing. “They have said that there are security issues there and hence the team is unlikely to go there. Please see the statement issued by the BCCI.”

No such statement has been published by the BCCI. The PCB says it has still not received an official explanation citing the reasons for India’s inability to travel, although it has been seeking one since the BCCI informed the ICC.

Jay Shah to chair the December 5 ICC meeting

The meeting is widely believed to be on the Champions Trophy, although there was also a suggestion that it could be a courtesy call on Shah to call during his tenure.

With time running out – there are only 77 days to the start date of the event – the ICC finds itself in a spot of trouble. It has yet to release the tournament schedule (usually released 100 days after the event) nor announce the ticketing process, which would make it easier for fans to make travel arrangements for the eight-team event.

Additional reporting by Danyal Rasool and Firdose Moonda