Shahid Afridi slams BCCI for mixing politics with cricket, backs Pakistan's stand against hybrid model

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has backed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in rejecting the hybrid model for next year’s Champions Trophy, set to be hosted in Pakistan. Afridi criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for "mixing politics with sports" and urged the ICC to "uphold fairness and assert their authority."

The ICC Board is set to meet on Friday to finalize the tournament schedule. The BCCI has informed the ICC that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan, citing the Indian government’s disapproval. Meanwhile, the PCB is firm on hosting the tournament entirely in Pakistan, leaving the event's fate in limbo.

Afridi also pointed out that Pakistan has toured India five times since the Mumbai terror attacks, despite strained relations between the two countries.


"By intertwining politics with sports, the BCCI has placed international cricket in a precarious position. Fully support the PCB's stance against the hybrid model - especially since Pakistan (despite security concerns) has toured India five times, including a bilateral white-ball series, post-26/11. It's time for the ICC and its Board of Directors to uphold fairness and assert their authority," Afridi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.


The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be hosted across three venues in Pakistan over February and March next year. But India, who have not toured Pakistan since 2008, told the ICC that their government had not permitted them to travel to Pakistan for the event earlier this month.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has insisted that the PCB remains "clear" in its view on hosting the Champions Trophy, and added that "it's not possible that Pakistan play in India, and they don't come here".