Just hours after PCB accepted BCCI and ICC's demand, Akhtar also claimed the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy was already agreed upon. He urged Pakistan to maintain cordial cricketing relations with India. This claim came before it was revealed that PCB had already consented to this model well in advance.

There seems to be no middle ground between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over ICC Champions Trophy. In the latest development, the BCCI has decided against accepting PCB’s demand of not playing their matches in India during ICC events.

There are no security threats to visiting teams in India and the tit-for-tat kind of "demand" from PCB can't be acceptable as India is set to host the 2029 Champions Trophy and co-host the 2026 T20 World Cup jointly with Sri Lanka,

Pakistan hopes it will get a fair deal on “equality” when the International Cricket Council virtually meets on Friday to finalize details for next year’s Champions Trophy.

It is yet to be decided whether such provisions are for the next three years or until the end of the current rights cycle in 2031