West Asia tensions force ICC to cancel Doha meet: Report

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board and committee meetings, scheduled to be held in Doha later this month, have been called off due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, some of the key discussions, particularly those involving the ICC’s finance committee, are now expected to take place virtually over the coming weeks.

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The meetings were originally slated for March 25 to 27 and were set to bring together ICC Board directors, chief executives, committee members and members of the organisation’s senior leadership. Among the major items on the agenda were the future of the ICC’s global broadcast rights, early conversations around the next Future Tours Programme (FTP), and the qualification pathway for cricket’s inclusion at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The ICC’s current broadcast agreement with JioStar runs until 2027, making the discussions around the next rights cycle particularly significant. Informal conversations on the upcoming FTP cycle have already begun, with several board members sounding out counterparts as they begin shaping cricket’s next four-year international calendar.

This was also set to be the first time the ICC would host its meetings in Qatar, where cricket participation has reportedly grown in recent years. However, with airspace disruptions and limited flight connectivity caused by the regional situation, staging the gathering in person has been deemed impractical for now.

The possibility of holding physical meetings in April remains open, depending on whether travel conditions improve.

The instability in West Asia has also begun affecting international fixtures. The white-ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates from March 13 to 25, is now likely to be postponed indefinitely.