The ICC is reportedly mulling the option of shifting the future global competitions out of India due to the ongoing geopolitical tension between India and Pakistan.
The bilateral relation between the two neighbours is at an all time low at present. The relation deteriorated further in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent military action last year. The Indian team declined to shake hands with the Pakistan players in 2025 Asia Cup and has maintained the same stance in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
Even though Pakistan visited India for the World Cup in 2023, India refused to do so for the Champions Trophy last year. As a result, the ICC had to pick UAE as a neutral venue for India’s games.
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India and Pakistan agree not to play in each other’s countries:
A few months ago, the BCCI and the PCB also struck a deal with the ICC, agreeing not to play in each other’s countries during the global tournaments. While India have not visited Pakistan since 2008, the latter visited India in 2012-13 for a bilateral series as well as in 2016 and 2023 for ICC tournaments. However, the PCB has also decided not to visit India for the foreseeable future.
For ICC, the situation has become only complex after Bangladesh also refused to visit India for the ongoing T20 World Cup, citing security reasons. Even though Bangladesh wanted to play their games in Sri Lanka, ICC declined their request and eventually replaced them with Scotland. As of now, it remains unclear whether India will tour Bangladesh for future bilateral series.
ICC tournaments to be shifted out of India:
Due to the prevailing geopolitical tension in the subcontinent, the ICC is mulling the option of shifting its future tournaments out of India, according to Australian news outlet The Age.
India have the hosting rights for the 2029 Champions Trophy and the 2031 ODI World Cup. However, both the marquee events could be shifted out of India as ICC is keen on avoiding logistical complications. The news outlet further reported that Australia have emerged as the frontrunner to host both the competitions.
India thrash Pakistan:
Meanwhile, India thrashed Pakistan by 61 runs on Sunday (February 15) to extend their winning run in the T20 World Cup. On a tough pitch in Colombo, India completely outplayed Pakistan to register their third win in as many games and book their place in the Super 8.
Batting first, the Men in Blue posted a challenging total of 175/7 in the allotted 20 overs thanks to a blazing 77-run knock from Ishan Kishan. In reply, Pakistan were all out for just 114 runs.
