Former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi has unleashed a scathing attack on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 drama. The legendary cricketer accused the Indian cricket board of jeopardizing international cricket by “intertwining politics with sports.”

Shahid Afridi, who is known for his outspoken nature, voiced his strong opposition to the hybrid model for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which has caused a war between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Shahid Afridi slams BCCI over ICC Champions Trophy 2025, accuses India of mixing politics with cricket

The legendary all-rounder has further argued that the decision to shift India’s matches away from Pakistan would be a direct influence of the political interference from the Indian government, which would eventually undermine the spirit of the game.

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Furthermore, Shahid Afridi expressed his unwavering support for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) stance against the hybrid model while highlighting the hypocrisy of the situation. He pointed out that despite security concerns, Pakistan has toured India multiple times since the 26/11 attacks, including a bilateral white-ball series.

But India has been continuously refusing to cross the border, and due to this, Pakistan had to host the Asia Cup 2023 in a hybrid model, with the Men in Green playing their games in Sri Lanka. And now the BCCI wants the same arrangement for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, citing security fears, which is totally unfair.

BCCI has placed international cricket in a precarious position: Shahid Afridi

The former all-rounder has also called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its Board of Directors to take a strong stand and uphold the principles of fairness in cricket, warning that allowing such political influence would set a dangerous example for the future of the game.

Shahid Afridi posted on his X handle on Thursday: “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.”

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… pic.twitter.com/Xl4YBhCWuB

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 28, 2024

Hybrid format is the best option to solve India-Pakistan drama: ICC

The ICC is all set to conduct an online meeting on Friday, November 29, to decide the fate of the eight-nation tournament, and it is being said that the PCB is agreed on the hybrid model, but there is no confirmation regarding the same. However, ICC left Pakistan with only one option regarding the event.

Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan loses hosting rights after officially declining Hybrid Model

An ICC source was quoted as saying to PTI news agency, “At this point, the hybrid format is the best option. We hope that all the parties involved will take a wise call for the sake of the tournament. It’s not good for the tournament to have it without India and Pakistan.”

Notably, Reliance and Star Sports have recently joined forces to create a new entity named ‘JioStar.’ As a result of this merger, while the hosting rights for the ICC tournament remain with Star Sports, the 2025 Champions Trophy will mark the first major event to be broadcast under the ‘JioStar’ brand.