India’s refusal to tour Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy has put the Pakistan Cricket Board in a spot of bother, and as a result, the PCB has sought clarification from the International Cricket Council, the global governing body of the sport, regarding the issue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had communicated to the ICC last week, citing security concerns across the border, as reason for refusing to send its team to Pakistan for the marquee ODI tournament, scheduled between February 19 to March 9, 2025.

India has not toured Pakistan since 2008 because of frosty political relations between the neighbours, who play each other only in global multi-team tournaments. However, Pakistan did visit India last year for the ODI World Cup, where they fell short of reaching the semi-finals.

The 2025 Champions Trophy is the second major event after the Asia Cup last year, that Pakistan got the hosting rights, after more than a decade. However, Pakistan were forced to conduct the tournament, partly in Sri Lanka, under a ‘hybrid model’ following eventual champions India’s refusal to travel.

While the PCB has ruled out a similar arrangement for the upcoming Champions Trophy, despite the BCCI maintaining its stance of not sending a team to Pakistan citing government advice, it has written to the ICC, seeking clarification.

In its letter, the PCB has also cited examples of teams like New Zealand, England and Australia recently touring the country without any fuss.

Earlier, it was widely reported that the BCCI had requested the ICC to arrange India’s matches under a hybrid model, with the final likely to be held at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE.

However, last week, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi shrugged away the possibility of hosting the tournament under a hybrid model by claiming that there have been no discussions about hosting the tournament in that format.

“Till today, no one has discussed any ‘Hybrid Model’ with us nor are we willing to talk about it. But we have been showing good gestures for the last few years and no one should expect us to do it all the time,” Naqvi said.

Multiple reports suggested that South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have emerged as possible alternate venues for hosting the Champions Trophy in 2025 in case Pakistan decides to withdraw at the last moment.

While India’s presence is crucial to the commercial success of the ICC event, a leading Pakistani daily on Tuesday cited sources saying that Pakistan might pull out of the tournament should it be shifted out of the country.