Harbhajan Singh's Fiery Reply To PCB's 'Threat', Says "Tournament Will Happen Without Pakistan"

With Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah taking over as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), former India spinner Harbhajan Singh that he will take cricket to a higher level globally. Jay Shah officially assumed the role of ICC Chair on Sunday, succeeding Greg Barclay who vacated the position on Saturday, to become the youngest to occupy that post. Harbhajan said Shah will be able to continue at ICC the work he did at BCCI.

"Jay Shah will take cricket to a higher level globally and he is able to continue the great work he did (in BCCI) at the ICC too. Also, he can bring in smaller nations to participate more: Harbhajan Singh told IANS," Harbhajan Singh told IANS at the inaugural function of the World Tennis Cricket League in New Delhi on Monday.

With the fate of the Champions Trophy 2025 veering towards a hybrid model, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to accept the decision.

Pakistan are the original host of the ICC 2025 Champions Trophy but are likely to agree to conduct it in a hybrid model after the Border of Control for India (BCCI) informed the ICC that the Indian government has refused to allow the team to travel across the border to play in Pakistan.

About PCB's threat that Pakistan will not travel to India to play ICC events in future, Harbhajan said they are free to make their own call. "If Pakistan does not want to travel to India in the future, it is their call. Tournaments will happen without their participation as well," Harbhajan Singh told IANS.

Harbhajan praised the Indian team for its brilliant victory over Australia in the opening match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth.

Playing under stand-in