LAHORE – Top cricket body International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to decide fate of 2025 Champions Trophy as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Dubai.
Reports in local media said Naqvi is scheduled to meet with ICC Chairman Jay Shah during his brief visit. Cricket Board has put forward a proposal suggesting that matches between Pakistan and India, including those in the upcoming Champions Trophy, be played at neutral venues for the next three years.
A decision on this proposal is expected to be made during ICC Board meeting. If consensus is reached, International Cricket Council is likely to announce official Champions Trophy schedule soon.
The venue matter remains bone of contention between arch-rivals as Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that Men in Blue will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, citing advice from the Indian government.
This prompted officials to go for hybrid model involving venues outside Pakistan likely to be considered – UAE is the leading alternative venue.
Pakistani government reportedly turned down hybrid model, emphasizing that any future travel by Pakistan to India would depend on government approval.
ICC Champions Trophy will feature eight teams, with the event scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, 2025. The schedule announcement may be postponed due to these developments. Unabted tensions between Asian cricket giants continue and two teams have played a limited number of series since 2008.
Champions Trophy: India likely to reject Pakistan’s proposal
