There is good news for Pakistan ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which will be held in February-March next year. Recently, the International Cricket Council held a meeting in Dubai.
The meeting was organized to discuss arrangements and security concerns for next year’s Champions Trophy. There were also discussions about India traveling to Pakistan for the tour.
It should be noted that all participating countries except India have confirmed their travel to Pakistan. The BCCI has already made it clear that they will need permission from the Indian government before sending their team.
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Pakistan receives good news ahead of Champions Trophy 2025
According to Cricket Pakistan, the recent meeting turned out to be fruitful for Pakistan as none of the participating countries expressed any concerns about travel. The comments received have been positive and are now also part of the official record.
It means India does not have much reason to refuse to travel for the Champions Trophy. The report also claims that India tried its best to persuade some of its closest allies, but failed.
In 2023, India convinced its closest allies to allow the Asia Cup to be held in a hybrid model. The Asia Cup 2023 was to be held in Pakistan, but India denied travel due to security concerns.
As a result, India’s matches, including the final. They took place in Sri Lanka. India won the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka in the final. It is likely that the next Champions Trophy will also be held that way.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently visited Pakistan for the SCO summit and reportedly praised the hospitality in the country. It could serve as an important reason why India cannot deny the trip to Pakistan.
ICC concerned about India’s involvement
While the PCB is confident of hosting the entire tournament, the ICC is concerned about the BCCI’s possible refusal to send the Indian team to the tournament. It is also the reason why the final tournament schedule has not yet been released.
As per the draft, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played from February 19 to March 9 in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. It is the first ICC tournament to be held in Pakistan after the 1996 ODI World Cup.
India’s last trip to Pakistan
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008, when the Asian Cup was held in the country. India finished runners-up in that tournament. Both India and Pakistan do not face each other except in ICC tournaments or Asian Cups.
The tense political relations between the two nations are the main reason behind India’s reluctance to play Pakistan. The last bilateral series played between them was in 2013 when Pakistan traveled to India for a T20I and ODI series.
While India has consistently denied traveling to Pakistan, the Men in Green have regularly traveled to its neighboring country. Recently, they visited India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.