Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions spilling over into cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly evaluating the possibility of relocating major upcoming tournaments from India to Australia, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sources suggest that Australia could potentially host the ICC Champions Trophy 2029 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2031, which are currently slated to take place in India, with co-hosting by Bangladesh.
The report emerges in the wake of uncertainty surrounding the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan had initially announced it would boycott its February 15 group-stage match against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, which had withdrawn from the tournament over security concerns.
After consultations involving the Pakistan Cricket Board, ICC officials, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Pakistan ultimately agreed to play against India to avoid a potential $250 million financial loss.
Cricketing relations between Pakistan and India have remained tense, particularly since the May 2025 conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The Asia Cup 2024 marked the first major tournament following that war, and in recent T20 World Cup encounters, Indian players and their captain avoided the customary post-match handshakes with Pakistani players.
This tension is not new. In December 2024, the PCB and BCCI agreed on a “hybrid model” for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan. Under this agreement, both sides decided not to play ICC events hosted by the other country, instead competing at neutral venues during the 2024–2027 cycle.
Currently, Pakistan and India only face each other in ICC multi-nation tournaments. Their last bilateral series was during Pakistan’s 2012–13 tour of India. For over a decade, India has barred its team from touring Pakistan due to political frictions.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, ongoing disputes have led ICC officials to explore contingency plans, including identifying alternate venues for major events to avoid disruptions. Australia has previously served as a neutral host for high-profile Pakistan–India World Cup matches, including the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, drawing crowds of 41,587 in Adelaide and 90,293 in Melbourne respectively.