It’s nearly 18 months to go before the potential start of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, whose schedule is yet to be published by the International Cricket Council (ICC), and there is no confirmation if India is making their trip to Pakistan for the tournament or if they are trying to make different plannings for the event to move ahead.
A few months ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, confirmed to the media reporters that irrespective of India’s arrival, the Champions Trophy 2025 will only be held in their country, as they are not going to accept the hybrid model in any circumstances this time around.
During last year’s Asia Cup 2023, just before the ODI World Cup in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) proposed the hybrid model and featured in their games in Sri Lanka, where the Babar Azam-led side had to fly out of their country to face the Rohit Sharma’s men in Kandy.
Jay Shah to take a final call on Champions Trophy 2025
As the most awaited global event of cricket is around the corner, the PCB chair is expected to meet the new chairman of the ICC, Jay Shah, before they take the final call on India’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025.
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The two officials are set to be engaged in October during the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which is set to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, as the reports have revealed.
The PCB has also spilled the beans about how they have been waiting to get the confirmation of logistical arrangements and that they have been waiting for the final approval of the Champions Trophy schedule. In the recent meeting with the ICC officials, Naqvi requested to sign the schedule as soon as possible to ensure the smooth conduction of the tournament.
India’s participation is the main agenda at the moment. The Blue Brigade hasn’t toured the neighboring country since the 2008 Asia Cup due to political reasons between them, while the last bilateral series took place in 2012 when the Green Brigade made the trip to India, and repeated the same during the 2016 T20 World Cup and later in 2023 ODI World Cup.
The ICC is expected to make an official announcement of the schedule by the end of October. The delegation team has also visited Pakistan and reviewed the arrangements in various grounds of the country, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, which are going to host the whole tournament.
The team, including the senior manager of the event Sarah Edgar, Aun Muhammad Zaidi, the event manager and the Champions Trophy event lead, the General manager of Cricket Wasim Khan, the security manager, David Masker, and the broadcast consultant Mansoor Manj, have been satisfied with the security arrangements and have shown their green signal.
However, the BCCI members have addressed that they have been waiting for the approval of the government to take the final decision regarding the development. Jay Shah, the secretary of the Indian board, will take the final call after meeting with Mohsin Naqvi. PCB, meanwhile, has disclosed the draft schedule of the event where India will play all of their game in Lahore, including the final, to avoid travel.
The last time when the tournament took place in 2017, the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side won the title, getting the better of India in the final at the Kennington Oval in South London.