Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi will virtually attend the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s board meeting in Ahmedabad on May 30 and 31.
This is in keeping with the ICC’s standard practice and the board members have already been informed about it.
The meeting coincides with the IPL final in Ahmedabad on May 31. It is part of the quarterly affairs the ICC holds every year. It was originally scheduled for March-April in Doha, but had to be rescheduled following the West Asia crisis.
Given the strained relations between India and Pakistan, it was always uncertain whether Naqvi would attend the ICC conference in chair Jay Shah’s hometown. However, it is unclear whether he decided to skip the visit because of personal commitments or under instructions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A PCB spokesperson didn’t take calls and refused to answer WhatsApp messages.
The format of the World Test Championship in future would be one of the main points of discussion at the meeting. The existing structure is expected to continue in the next cycle (2027-2029) but could see a change thereafter with three more full members — Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan — being included.
The ICC had appointed a working group, headed by former New Zealand cricketer Roger Twoose, to look into the WTC format. The current format has nine Test-playing nations playing three home and three away series over two years, with a mandatory minimum of two Tests per series.
The new proposals will be discussed but a final format will take some time before being passed by the board. Among the various proposals, the chiefs of the various cricket boards will consider allowing one-off Tests to be included in the next cycle.
The world body’s annual general meeting is scheduled for July in Edinburgh following the women’s T20 World Cup in England from June 12 to July 5.