The newly appointed chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mr Mohsin Naqvi, has reportedly sought ‘participation assurance’ from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

This request comes in the context of the Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to be the first major ICC tournament hosted in Pakistan since 1996. The ‘participation assurance’ is essentially a guarantee from the BCCI that the Indian cricket team will participate in the tournament.

Mohsin Naqvi seeks Participation Assurance from BCCI

The move set by Mohsin Naqvi is seen as an attempt to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament and avoid any last-minute pull-outs. The assurance, if granted, could pave the way for more frequent cricketing interactions, fostering a spirit of sportsmanship and mutual respect.

However, the BCCI’s response to this request is eagerly awaited. Given the complexities involved, the decision is likely to be influenced by various factors, including the prevailing political climate and the stance of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The PCB chairman plans to discuss the matter with key figures in the ICC as well as BCCI Secretary Jay Shah during the ICC Meeting in Dubai. However, it seems unlikely that significant progress will be made at this stage as the tournament is nearly a year away.

”The biggest worry for the PCB is whether India will send its team to Pakistan and there is no repeat of last year’s Asia Cup issues,” a PCB source said, citing the ‘Hybrid Model’ that was used last year.

Last year, PCB was forced to agree to a sharing formula under which it hosted four games of the Asia Cup and the rest were held in Sri Lanka since the BCCI made it clear that it cannot send its team to Pakistan because of non-clearance from its government.

”This is an ICC event and Pakistan went last year to India for the World Cup. Naqvi will try to convince the ICC and BCCI that they need to confirm that India will be coming to Pakistan as early as possible as it will help promote the CT for them,” the source added.

While the Champions Trophy is an ICC tournament and with every other cricketing nation travelling to Pakistan, the BCCI will not entirely close its door but any clearance from the government of India will not come at least weeks before the tournament commences.

However, it’s important to note that any clearance from the Government of India for the Indian cricket team to participate in the tournament in Pakistan will likely not come until a few weeks before the tournament commences. The last time India toured Pakistan was for the Asia Cup in 2008. Since then, Pakistan has visited India thrice for the ICC World Cup events in 2011, 2016, and 2023.

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