Pakistan Way Behind On Champions Trophy Preparations: ICC CEO Steps Down

The ICC CEO, Geoff Allardice, has made the major decision of giving up his job just a few weeks before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

Although Allardice didn’t mention the reason behind his decision, a board member has hinted towards his failure to represent host Pakistan’s lack of preparation with regards to Champions Trophy as one of the main reasons behind his decision. 

The 57-year-old joined the ICC in 2012 as General Manager of Cricket, having previously served in Cricket Australia as Cricket Operations Manager. He was appointed CEO of the ICC in November 2021, after serving as acting CEO for 8 months.

"It has been a privilege to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council and I am incredibly proud of the results we have achieved, from enhancing the global reach of cricket to the commercial foundation put in place for ICC Members," Allardice said in a statement.

The official statement made no mention of any potential issues inside the ICC, but an anonymous source mentioned that Allardice’s decision had been impending for a while. 

"The ICC T20 World Cup in the US was a big flop in terms of playing conditions and also it exceeded budget, the auditing is still being done,” stated the anonymous source. 

“What broke the camel's back was Champions Trophy where as CEO, he was supposed to give a clear picture about readiness of Pakistan to host a tourney of such magnitude," he added.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to begin on February 19th, but the bigger concern for the ICC is the fact that stadiums in Karachi and Rawalpindi are still under construction. 

The images that surfaced on the media clearly do not paint a positive picture of the extent of renovations. 

Will the PCB be able to complete the stadium renovations in time or will the ICC have to make another hard decision? Let’s wait and see!