KEY POINTS
- PCB Chairman insists BCCI to follow hybrid model agreed ahead of ICC Champions Trophy
- India and Sri Lanka to host Women’s World Cup scheduled from Sept 26 to Nov 2
ISLAMABAD: Despite earning a dominant spot in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 qualifiers, the Pakistan women’s team will not be competing in the tournament on Indian soil.
Instead, their matches will be held at a neutral venue, in accordance with a pre-agreed hybrid model.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the development following the team’s unbeaten run in the qualifiers, which concluded with a convincing seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Lahore.
“Our position is clear,” Naqvi told reporters. “There is an agreement in place. India will decide on the neutral venue, and we will play there. But our team will not travel to India.”
This hybrid model stems from a prior compromise made when India declined to tour Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy.
The arrangement, first applied to the Champions Trophy, now extends to the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Under this formula, it’s likely that Pakistan will play its 2026 T20 World Cup fixtures in Sri Lanka, including the high-profile encounter against India.
The ICC has endorsed the model, confirming that any India-Pakistan matches during the 2024–2027 cycle will be played at neutral venues — a move that ends prolonged diplomatic uncertainty.
The PCB has, also, secured the hosting rights for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where similar neutral arrangements are expected for India-Pakistan clashes.
Pakistan and Bangladesh emerged as the top two teams in the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers.
With this, they join hosts India, along with Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka for the tournament, scheduled from September 26 to November 2.
