ICC cancels Champions Trophy event in Pakistan due to 'scheduling issues'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has cancelled an event related to the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan due to 'scheduling issues.' This comes after reports of India deciding not to travel to Pakistan for the tournament and PCB's chief Mohsin Naqvi's statement saying 'not ready to accept hybrid model.'

The cancelled event, where ICC was expected to flag off the tournament officially, has now been put on hold until the situation sorts out, read a report on cricket news website Cricbuzz.

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"The schedule is not confirmed, we are still in discussions with the host and participating nations on the Champions Trophy schedule. Once confirmed we will announce through our normal channels," said the report citing an official as a source in the know of things.

The PCB, however, has downplayed the controversy and a source in the same report hinted that the cancellation could have been due to the soaring pollution levels in Lahore.

"It was only a trophy tour flag off and tournament/branding launch," said an official in a Cricbuzz report. "That (the event) is still in the works -- though may be rescheduled because Lahore outdoor activities are difficult right now," the source further added.

The scheduling conflict was expected as both India and Pakistan do not play bilateral cricket due to political tensions. Last year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the regional Asia Cup as well but Pakistan travelled to India for the ODI World Cup which followed soon after.

A report in the Indian media has stated that India is not going to travel to Pakistan and insteadseeking Dubai, UAE as the option to play their matches.

Naqvi, however, has said that there's been no official communication from the Board for Control for Cricket India (BCCI) regarding India not coming to play the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

The tournament is scheduledto be played from February 19 to March 9.