PM Shehbaz lauds PCB’s hybrid model for ICC tournaments

Minister for Interior and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore on Sunday to discuss the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the PCB’s strategy for hosting global cricket tournaments.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Naqvi’s principled stance on the Champions Trophy and acknowledged the PCB’s readiness to host the prestigious event. He commended the Chairman PCB for representing the aspirations of 240 million Pakistanis on the global cricketing stage.

Naqvi briefed the Prime Minister on the PCB’s preparations for the Champions Trophy, emphasizing the importance of a recent breakthrough agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Under this agreement, reached after meetings between ICC chief Jay Shah and Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai, a hybrid model will be adopted for ICC tournaments hosted in Pakistan and India until 2027. The model ensures that Pakistan and India will play their matches against each other at neutral venues.

The agreement applies to three ICC global events scheduled between 2024 and 2027:

• Champions Trophy in Pakistan (February 2025)
• Women’s ODI World Cup in India (2025)
• Men’s T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka (2026)

Sources revealed that the PCB proposed a ‘Partnership or Fusion Formula’ to resolve the impasse, allowing both countries to participate in tournaments without crossing borders.

A PCB Board meeting is scheduled for December 7 to finalize discussions regarding the Champions Trophy.