Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), reaffirmed on Monday that the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025 would continue to be contested in Pakistan, despite India’s decision not to send a team to the tournament.
The tournament, which is scheduled to take place from February 19 to March 9, will be hosted by Pakistan, which claimed the most recent champions trophy tournament, which was held in England in 2017. India has not visited Pakistan since 2008 as a result of their deteriorating political relations, and the two nations only engage in multi-team events. The Asia Cup was also hosted by Pakistan last year; however, India, the eventual champions, played all of their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model” defined by the organizers.
The ICC informed the PCB last week that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had informed the global regulatory body that its national team would not be visiting Pakistan for the eight-nation event.
It is important to note that the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule must be announced by the ICC by November 20, and all of the matches are scheduled to be played at three venues in Pakistan: Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore. Time is of the essence.
In an interview with the media at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium today, Naqvi stated, “We will achieve our objective and, God willing, safely host the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.”
Interrogated about any correspondence from the ICC regarding Pakistan’s refusal to adopt a hybrid model, he stated, “We have written a letter and are awaiting a response.” We have only engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and are currently anticipating its response.
The chairman of the PCB stated that politics and sports should be kept separate and that no country should combine the two. He also expressed his optimism for the future.
Naqvi further stated, “I believe the ICC will need to consider its credibility, as it is a collective of all cricket organizations.” “There are no issues with any of the other teams that have qualified for the Champions Trophy; they are all prepared to arrive.”
“I think that there is no reason for India to refrain from visiting Pakistan. If they have any concerns, they should address them directly with us, and we will mitigate them.
“Our position is unequivocal; we have previously articulated it and will continue to do so.”
The PCB chairman acknowledged that the ICC had not yet released the match schedule and expressed his optimism that it would be done shortly, allowing the PCB to make the necessary preparations.
He also acknowledged that the PCB had appointed Aqib Javed as the interim white-ball head coach after refuting a media report that said Javed was slated to succeed Jason Gillespie as the head coach for all formats.
The Champions Trophy tour commenced with a graceful ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, during which the dazzling trophy was displayed at a variety of prominent monuments in the federal capital, including the Pakistan Monument, Faisal mosque, and DamaÂn-e-Koh.
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