The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not proposed any bilateral series with India, clarifying that such discussions were absent from the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) annual conference in Sri Lanka.
This revelation comes from the Indian news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), which cited PCB sources.
According to the PTI report, PCB officials emphasized that their primary objective is to successfully host the ICC Champions Trophy. A significant concern is whether India will agree to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament. Another crucial agenda item for the PCB is securing the budget approval for the Champions Trophy.
“Our main focus at this meeting is to ensure that we are prepared to host the ICC Champions Trophy and to finalize the budget. The idea of a bilateral series with India has not been on our agenda,” said a PCB source.
India had previously refused to send its team to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup. The tournament was then conducted under a hybrid model, with India playing all its matches in Sri Lanka.
Despite this, the Pakistani cricket team participated in the 2023 ODI World Cup hosted by India. The last time the Indian team visited Pakistan was in 2007, after which they have consistently declined to play there citing various reasons.
Looking ahead, the tentative schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025 has been unveiled. Hosting details and group allocations have been communicated to the eight participating teams.
Due to security concerns, all matches involving India are slated to take place in Lahore. However, the Indian cricket board and government remain hesitant to confirm their participation in the ICC event in Pakistan.