Jay Shah assuming ICC office and hybrid model for Champions Trophy 2025, cricket world not shedding tears for Pakistan

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Jay Shah assuming office as ICC chairman (December 2024) has been welcomed by the world, except Pakistan. It was expected since the rabid hatred for India from across the border is nothing new.

That is why, even those who don't necessarily write on cricket daily in India have also recalled a few big moments and ugly Pakistanis because of which India can never fly across the border to play cricket.

Sample this, Jay Shah was elected months ago, unopposed, and the Pakistan cricket websites and social media handles are heaping scorn on him even now. Why? Simply because a Pakistani will never rise to that office post again.

They can have good cricketers who turn to commentary, like legend Wasim Akram, not a Pakistani heading the ICC. On Saturday, the video put out by Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief was a giveaway.

It was clear after all the hard talk with the Pakistani media, he had to make a climbdown. The hybrid model has itself become the butt of ridicule since India can any day put pressure on the cricketing world and shift cricket out of Pakistan to a neutral venue.

Why it is the United Arab Emirates is well known, since it is the Indians who have the best jobs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Pakistanis are left doing menial jobs like cab drivers or labour since they do not have the same degree or pedigree as Indians.

Sample any top jobs and people in charge in the UAE, media included, Indians dominate it. This is in sharp contrast to a fetish for Brits three decades ago in Dubai. Jay Shah does not have to go and sit in the ICC office daily.

That's not the way the ICC works, though the Pakistanis still think it is like some daily labourer who has to go and slog. You cannot fault them, really, as Pakistani politicians are at the mercy of their corrupt Army and the ISI.

It is well known when 26/11 happened and still so fresh in memory, Mumbai was terrorised by Pakistan. Proof of it was Ajmal Kasab caught live. He was later hanged to death in 2012 in Pune. It was a message sent to the state of Pakistan, about how powerful India is.

Again, India had to show for its Army officers killed in Uri, that they would retaliate. The way India executed the surgical strikes in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) was proof of India's might. Contrast this with the PCB recently wanting to take the Champions Trophy tour to POK, which itself tells a story of their cunning.

It is well known India does not trust Pakistan and as long as they shield terrorists are perpetrators of terror, the situation will never change. The names of Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim are well known and how they are hiding and being shielded by Pakistan.

So, public sentiment is India should never travel to Pakistan for sport, notably cricket. India knows how to stifle them, and by not allowing them to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League), the message is clear: Terror will not be tolerated.

So, the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in 2025 is a big loss of face for the PCB and Mohsin Naqvi. They can bark at cameras but will eventually become submissive for the sake of a few thousand dollars.

Understandable that, since Pakistan does not produce anything that can help their economy. Certainly not terror. So, has India won the battle on shifting the Champions Trophy to the UAE for its own matches? That is laughable since India was never going to travel to Lahore or Islamabad.

In the coming weeks, there will be more pressure on Pakistan. Pakistan will be more than happy just to play host in UAE with tails wagging like a pet dog. If the political situation does not improve in Pakistan, more nations will say 'no' to travel to Pakistan.

That India has set a precedent is being lapped up by the entire cricketing world. This is the power of India as well as the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) which knows how to flex its muscles. With a young Indian to head the ICC, this is sweet timing. Welcome, Jay Shah.