The Pakistan Cricket Board stated on Monday that they had been told not to expect India to travel for the revived ICC Champions Trophy next year. The BCCI are expected to cite players’ safety concerns as the primary reason for not travelling. 

The Champions Trophy sees the top 8 sides in the world battle it out for the second most prestigious title in ODI cricket. It will serve as a good gauge as to how teams are progressing as they approach the midpoint between World Cups and also offers a rare opportunity for international teams to play knockout cricket. Afghanistan will make their debut in 2025.

I have no desire to comment on relations between India and Pakistan and become embroiled in any sort of international scandal, so let’s assume that they have valid cause for concern and the refusal to travel is a wise one.

The question remains – what now? In any other sport, the spot would be awarded to the next best team. The team that finished 9th at the 2023 World Cup was Sri Lanka. The Lions are also the highest ranked team not currently expected to feature. The second option is that all teams in India’s group receive a walkover victory, or the match is declared null and void. That would leave Bangladesh, New Zealand, and hosts Pakistan to compete in a group of three. That is less desirable – matchday takings and TV revenues are crucial to the tournament’s viability.

It's obvious then, that Sri Lanka should be asked if they’d like to feature. If they don’t, we would continue down the rankings until a team says yes, right? Wrong. This is cricket, of course.

The ICC will bend over backwards to make it work for the BCCI. It has been suggested that India could play their games in the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan have previously played home games in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

What does this say about the sport?

Well, it says that India have an awful lot of influence. Would the ICC bend over backwards to ensure that Afghanistan feature? Of course not. South Africa? Probably not. It should be emphasised that my concern is not regarding India specifically, rather that any country should hold so much power in the sport. The Indian market is so crucial to the financial success of the tournament that teams will be asked to travel 1,250 miles to play a single fixture. The draw is already rigged to ensure that Pakistan and India play each other to guarantee that 200m TV audience.

This will concern a wide number of stakeholders. First, there are obvious environmental concerns. The PCB will be further frustrated by the inability to entice teams to Pakistan and what that means for future tours. England and Australia will be wondering how the big 3 has become the big 1. The smaller boards will be left wondering whether they would have been treated the same - almost definitely not, as I have suggested above. Fans may be frustrated by the slow pitches in the UAE. But above all, fans and executives alike should be concerned that the ICC is not acting in the best interests of the global game.

It also suggests to the BCCI that they can bend the cricketing calendar to their will. This particular decision may have been made in good faith, but who’s to say they won’t make decisions for their own gain in the future. For example, they could extend the IPL even further, to the detriment of cricket in other countries.

The other boards should act fast to enact change within the ICC’s governance structure and ensure that all full members are treated equally. Anything else is just not cricket.

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By Leon Parrott