The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly considering shifting two of its marquee 50-over tournaments out of India, with Australia emerging as the frontrunner alternate host, according to reports published by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
India is currently scheduled to host the 2029 Champions Trophy and the 2031 ODI World Cup. However, the deepening standoff between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has placed the ICC in an increasingly difficult position over venue logistics and bilateral participation.
In December last year, the BCCI and PCB reached a mutual agreement stating that neither side would travel to the other’s country for any cricket across genders and at any level with neutral venues designated for their fixtures until 2031. While Sri Lanka’s co-hosting role in the ongoing 20-team T20 World Cup 2026 has provided Pakistan an alternate venue for now, the ICC is concerned that staging a full-scale tournament in India under such conditions would become logistically unworkable.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Urges Pakistan To Respectful Care For Imran Khan’s Health
Per the Australian reports, should the BCCI and PCB fail to resolve their long-standing differences rooted in tense geopolitical relations Australia could host the 2029 Champions Trophy, which would be the country’s first edition of that tournament. Australia and New Zealand already hold hosting rights for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. For the 2031 ODI World Cup, Australia remains the ICC’s preferred contingency option if bilateral tensions continue.
The ICC was forced into extensive negotiations ahead of the India-Pakistan league match in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 a situation it is evidently keen to avoid repeating at future tournaments it hosts or oversees.
How the India-Pakistan Cricket Rift Deepened
The two sides last played a bilateral series in 2011-12, when Pakistan toured India for a three-match ODI and T20I series. Since then, their encounters have been limited strictly to ICC and ACC events, including World Cups, the Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup.
The current phase of the standoff intensified in late 2024, when the Indian government declined to send its team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, citing security concerns. The ICC, BCCI, and PCB subsequently agreed on a hybrid model, with Dubai added as a last-minute alternate venue for India’s matches. India went on to win the tournament, defeating New Zealand in the Dubai final.
Ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India, Pakistan initially decided against participating in the tournament a move framed as solidarity with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over Bangladesh’s exit from the event. Pakistan eventually agreed to take part but subsequently refused to face India in their scheduled league match, prompting the ICC to initiate several rounds of dialogue with the PCB to secure their participation.
After weeks of uncertainty, the Pakistani government gave its team the green light to play the match just days before the fixture in Colombo on February 15. India won the contest by 61 runs.
-
-
-
-
