PCB chief flies to UAE to convince ICC that it can play good hosts to Indian cricket team
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With the International Cricket Council (ICC) insisting on a hybrid model for next year's Champions Trophy, the president of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called on the chief of the Emirates Cricket Board on Saturday.
The PCB said its Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Emirates cricket head Mubashir Usmani in Dubai to declare that his country was ready to host the Champions Trophy in February-March. Usmani is also the chairman of ICC's associate members' committee.
The ICC was expected to reach a verdict on the hybrid model on Friday, but its executive board meeting ended inconclusively. It told the PCB to either accept the plan to move India's matches to the UAE or get ousted from hosting the event.
The UAE is the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) choice as an Indian team visiting Pakistan is highly unlikely due to diplomatic tension between the neighbouring countries. Indian cricket team has not visited Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attack.
The ICC has been sympathetic toward the BCCI's position despite the PCB maintaining that all participants would be provided state-level security. According to sources, Naqvi told Usmani that the political situation in Pakistan was stable. He said the construction works at the stadiums hosting the event were on schedule.