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Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy in February next year
What’s the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president, Rajeev Shukla, has confirmed that the Indian government will decide on Team India’s participation in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy next year.
“The Indian government will decide whether cricket team will travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy next year,” Shukla told PTI.
The prestigious 50-over event is set to be hosted by the 2017 champions, Pakistan, between February 1 and 19.
Uncertainty surrounds India’s participation due to geopolitical issues
Uncertainty surrounds India’s participation in the Champions Trophy due to the ongoing political issues with Pakistan.
The two nations have not engaged in a bilateral cricket series since 2012.
There are reports suggesting that the BCCI may be hesitant about sending an Indian team to Pakistan over safety concerns.
However, no official discussions regarding these matters have been initiated by either board yet.
ICC inspects Pakistan’s preparations for Champions Trophy
A team of four from the ICC recently dropped by Lahore to check out how Pakistan is gearing up for the Champions Trophy.
They also took a look at other possible venues in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Karachi.
During their visit on September 20, they caught up with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and were pretty pleased with the security measures and upgrades at these venues.
India-Pakistan cricket encounters limited to ICC events
Since 2008, India and Pakistan have mainly faced off in ICC events. This shift came after the Mumbai terror attacks that year.
Fast forward to 2023, and Pakistan made its way to India for the ODI World Cup after a seven-year break.
The last time these two countries played a full series against each other was back in 2013, when Pakistan came to India for a T20I and an ODI series.
PCB requests ICC to finalize Champions Trophy schedule
The ICC is set to unveil the final schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025 by the end of October.
Pakistan’s Sports Minister, Ehsan-Ur-Rehman Naqvi, has urged the cricketing body to finalize this schedule ahead of time.
This would enable Pakistan to kick-start solid preparations, including provisional bookings and logistical arrangements for all teams involved.
Naqvi and the new ICC Chairman, Jay Shah, are expected to meet in Dubai next month during the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final.
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