'ICC should not schedule India-Pakistan matches until ... '

NEW DELHI: As the cricketing world awaits the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision on the 2025 Champions Trophy amid a standoff between India and Pakistan, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has suggested that no Indo-Pak matches should be scheduled in multi-nation tournaments until bilateral cricket between the two countries resumes.
Akmal emphasised the need for a long-term solution, suggesting that if a hybrid model is accepted for the Champions Trophy, the same should apply to ICC events hosted in India.

“The ICC has to make a decision sometime, and I think this is the right time to find a permanent solution. If this Champions Trophy adopts a hybrid model with India not coming to Pakistan, then all other ICC events in India should adopt the same pattern with Pakistan not touring India,” Akmal told Telecom Asia Sport in an interview.

“In my opinion, another solution is that the ICC should not schedule Indo-Pak matches until and unless there is a bilateral series. Once they start playing each other, then only we should have matches in a multi-national event," Akmal was quoted as saying.

Expressing frustration with the ongoing situation, Akmal said: “I am disappointed to see such a scenario, but enough is enough as Pakistan have toured India despite one 2016 World Cup match shifted from Dharamshala to Kolkata, and then Pakistan played in Ahmedabad last year despite reservations.

“Pakistan will have to take a strong decision and stick to it. That will help Pakistan create a good image,” he added.
Akmal also criticised India’s stance on not touring Pakistan while expecting Pakistan to play in India, calling it a “double standard.”
“On one hand, they don’t want to play us in Pakistan on political issues, but on the other hand, they play us in their country, and that is a double standard,” said Akmal.
Pakistan have not hosted an ICC event since 1996, while India have refused bilateral cricket with Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The last bilateral series between the two nations occurred in 2012-13, when Pakistan toured India for a five-match white-ball series.