Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to keep its "ego aside" and "agree" to a hybrid model for the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Harbhajan, popularly known as "The Turbanator", mentioned that India cannot travel to Pakistan for the global event due to security reasons and therefore the PCB should stop being adamant about hosting the tournament entirely on home turf.
"Ask all players, they would say they are ready to play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. In any case, we don't see too many Indo-Pak games as such, and Pakistan should keep their ego aside and agree to the 'Hybrid Model'. There is a security concern (for India) and I have been saying this since 2022," Harbhajan told the Press Trust of India (PTI) on the sidelines of the inauguration of the World Tennis Cricket League.
Meanwhile, after adopting a rigid stance on the hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy on home soil, the PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi seems to have realised that the hybrid model is the only way forward amid the ongoing controversy.
"A lot is happening at the moment, and I want to ensure that nothing I say jeopardizes the ongoing process. We've presented our perspective, and India has shared theirs. Everyone involved is working hard to find a win-win solution, and above all, to ensure that cricket emerges as the true winner. The most important aspect is to resolve matters in a way that allows everyone to move forward with their pride intact," Naqvi said while speaking to media outlets after Pakistan's win over India in the ongoing ACC U19 Men's Asia Cup.
Notably, Pakistan are the official hosts of the tournament. They had won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy which was played in England and Wales in 2017.
