Recent sources indicate that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has conveyed its satisfaction with the comprehensive briefing provided by the Pakistan Cricket Board about the 2025 Champions Trophy. Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, was present at an ICC meeting on Monday when the list of preparations was presented.
According to Geo News, the PCB promised the ICC board members that the three locations—Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore—that are presently undergoing renovations will be completely prepared by the time the competition starts in February of the next year. Additionally, it has been reported that the ICC board members have received personal invitations to visit Pakistan in order to evaluate the tournament’s preparations.
However, because the competition is being held in Pakistan, there is still some doubt regarding India’s participation. Because to the political animosity between the two countries, especially in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, India’s last cricket competition in Pakistan was the 2008 Asia Cup. Although Pakistan has made three separate trips to India since the devastating event, it is unclear if India would follow suit.
Three options are being considered by ICC for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
According to certain recent rumours, the ICC is evaluating three different choices for hosting the competition. First, the tournament would be staged entirely in Pakistan. Secondly, a hybrid model would be used, wherein Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates would co-host the event, with India’s matches and those during the knockout stages taking place in Dubai. The third option would be to hold the competition entirely outside of Pakistan, perhaps in South Africa, Sri Lanka, or Dubai.
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The third alternative would be to guarantee India’s participation in the event, which would increase ad income and bring in money from the sale of tickets and the rights to broadcast. It’s also noteworthy that since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan has not hosted any significant ICC events.