Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali felt the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would end up losers if they accepted to a reported compromise deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC), terming that the offer to host the women’s World Cup in 2027 was nothing but a ‘lollipop’ from the global body.
As a concession, the ICC, BCCI and PCB have also agreed that the Pakistan men's team won't travel to India for their league game against the hosts in the T20 World Cup 2026 and will instead play the match in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
According to multiple sources, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is currently in the UAE, lobbying for Pakistan’s cause, has put forward a list of conditions, in a bid to help Pakistan retain the hosting rights of the marque tournament.
The impasse over the 2025 Champions Trophy continued as the all-powerful ICC board meeting failed to reach a consensus after meeting virtually for a little over 20 minutes on Friday, and is likely to meet again over the weekend to find a solution.
With fewer than 100 days left until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan, the tournament's dates and fixtures remain unannounced, adding to the mounting uncertainty surrounding the event.
In a letter, Kaneria's legal team wrote that the tainted leg-spinner has "suffered unimaginable and incomprehensible hardships, both professionally and personally" and "his sole source of income has vastly been affected".
Pakistan is scheduled to play three Test matches and as many T20 International matches in England.
Although there is still no confirmation on the host nation, the same is expected to be confirmed before the end of the month.
The selectors have also named four reserves- Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz- as a cover in case any of the players test COVID-19 positive prior to or during the course of the series.
Dismissing 502 batsmen in 356 ODIs, Akram is still the fast bowler with the most number of wickets in the white-ball format.
