File photo of an India vs Pakistan cricket match© AFP
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by asking what will they achieve by going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after India refused to travel for next year’s Champions Trophy. As per the media reports, the PCB is exploring an option of approaching the CAS on the matter as they remain adamant about hosting the full tournament in Pakistan.
Kaneria said it was almost evident that India would not travel to Pakistan because of security concerns and political reasons, adding that nothing will be achieved by going to CAS.
“The issue was ongoing for long that India will not travel to Pakistan for political and other reasons. They have an option of the hybrid model as they did in the Asia Cup but things should be settled as Pakistan travelled to India for ODI World Cup last year. If Pakistan go to the international court (CAS) what will they achieve out of it? There’s always the uncertainty of security in Pakistan. International teams are coming but security concerns are much higher with the Indian team,” Kaneria, who 261 Test wickets are the highest by a spinner from the country, told IANS.
The former spinner suggested a ‘hybrid model’ like Asia Cup for the tournament, with India playing their matches in Dubai while the rest of the event continues to be hosted in Pakistan.
“Looking at the big picture, India should play their matches in Dubai and Pakistan continue to host the Champions Trophy in the country. Things will only go downhill in this situation but Pakistan have nothing to lose as they did the same last time and also sent their team to India for World Cup. PCB is adamant this time and says many fans in Pakistan want to see Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja play in Pakistan,” the former cricketer said.
“It will interesting to see how PCB will move ahead with the Champions Trophy from here; will they play on the front foot and stay bold in their stand? I think things should be done swiftly with delegations of both boards interacting in person to find the desirable outcome,” Kaneria concluded.
The Champions Trophy, a marquee event set to make its return in 2025 after eight years, is expected to feature the world’s top eight cricketing teams, with Pakistan securing the hosting rights.
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