New Delhi. Amid allegations of overspending for the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the US and West Indies (particularly with regard to the preparation of a modular stadium in New York, which reportedly led to the resignation of two top ICC officials), the International Cricket Council (ICC) is preparing to approve the budget for the Champions Trophy 2025. The budget papers for the 2025 Champions Trophy will be presented before the ICC Board for approval at the ICC Annual Conference that begins in Colombo today, reports Cricbuzz. ICC Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ankur Khanna spent three days in Lahore in June working on the budget with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CFO Javed Murtuza to finalise the financial outlay for the eight-team Champions Trophy. Before the financial plan is approved by the Board, it will have to go through the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA), headed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah.

The F&CA is scheduled to meet on July 21, a day before the board meeting, and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is expected to be present. The budget documents mention Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi for the championship scheduled to be held from February 19 to March 9. However, a question remains over India's participation which will depend on the Indian government's approval. However, with the recent rise in terrorism-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, there is always uncertainty about approval by the Indian government. Recent history shows that the government has been against the Indian team touring the neighbouring country. For instance, it did not allow the team to play in the Asia Cup in Pakistan last year, leading to a hybrid model.

Whether any such arrangement will be made for the 15-match Champions Trophy will be known only during the meeting. For the record, the ICC has scheduled an inspection of the three identified venues in September. The budget papers for the Champions Trophy will be presented at the ICC meeting, while some members are reportedly unhappy with the expenses incurred to prepare and host the eight league matches in New York. One of the directors, Pankaj Khimji, has sent a letter requesting a forensic audit of the expenses related to the construction of the pop-up stadium in New York, which was demolished after the completion of the Games in the city.

Elections for associate members will be held today
The five-day annual conference, to be held from July 19 to 22, will begin with a meeting of the world body's associate members. The election will be held for the associate member director posts, for which 11 candidates are in the fray. The candidates for the election are Sam Arthur (Costa Rica), Dr. Rudy van Vuuren (Namibia), Shankar Renganathan (Sierra Leone), Mubashir Usmani (UAE), Gurumurthy Palani (France), Mahinda Vallipuram (Malaysia), Stephen Musele (Rwanda) and Mahmood Ghaznavi (Singapore), along with incumbent members Imran Khwaja (Singapore), Neil Speight (Bermuda) and Pankaj Khimji (Oman) for three posts. The result of the election will be announced on Friday afternoon.

UAE wins award for best female performance in associates
The UAE have won the Associate Member Women's Performance of the Year award after a stellar performance at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Asia Qualifier in Malaysia. Led by Mumbai-born Isha Oza, the UAE women entered the global qualifier after beating mighty Thailand following victories over Qatar, Bahrain and Hong Kong (in the semi-finals).