With the four-day ICC Annual conference finishing in Colombo on July 22nd (Monday), one of the most anticipated matters wasn't even on the agenda. According to a report by News18, the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy standoff wasn't discussed, with an official backing the ICC to handle it as the tournament is still some way off.
India last played in Pakistan in 2008 and haven't been to the sub-continent nation due to strained political relations and security concerns. Pakistan were also the hosts for the Asia Cup last year, but the ACC decided on a hybrid model, with the Men in Blue playing their games in Sri Lanka. The same is likely to happen for the Champions Trophy.
An official, who attended the Annual General Meeting in Colombo on Monday, said, as quoted by News18:
"It wasn’t on the agenda so it wasn’t brought up or discussed during the Annual General Meeting. It isn’t a bilateral where two boards will hold discussions. No dialogue happened between us and PCB on the Champions Trophy. Since it wasn’t on any of the agendas, it wasn’t discussed during the AGM too. It is still time away and ICC will handle it.
According to the draft submitted by the PCB, Pakistan and India are scheduled to lock horns on March 1st in Lahore.
Amid this, a few Pakistani fans have claimed that the ICC has accepted all of PCB requests, meaning that India don't have a choice but to visit Pakistan for the tournament.
Here's what Pakistani fans are saying on social media regarding the Champions Trophy:
