According to the Dainik Jagran news report, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) has claimed that they have yet to receive any officially routed proposition from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the 2025 Champions Trophy. There has been a lot of talk about India’s participation as the government has not made a statement on whether the team will be going to Pakistan or not. As per the media reports, there is a plan that has been put in place by the PCB which states that the Indian cricket team after every match will fly to Delhi or Chandigarh for security reasons.
As per the report, ‘ there has been no such communication from PCB as an official proposal to BCCI till now’ claimed a BCCI official. The decision completely lies with the Indian Government.
For more than ten years, conflicts in politics have prevented the occurrence of one single bilateral match between India and Pakistan, and it is only during international tournaments that they meet. The 2023 ODI world Cup took place in India and participants included Pakistan despite the uncertainty surrounding India’s participation in the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is ready for any worst case scenario that India might decline to send its team to participate in the Champions Trophy but the Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore would still remain the venue for the finals on March 9 if the two teams qualify for the title clash, sources revealed Friday.
Whether the PCB will be able to stage the final is one of the matters that will be discussed at the ICC Board meeting in Dubai scheduled for October 18-21.
“In terms of cricket, the Board’s first and foremost hope is to host the entire Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and they are optimistic of this, but on the other hand, the Board has also envisaged the possibility of the Indian government not permitting its team to tour Pakistan, and instead, the India matches being played in UAE, mentally and emotionally,” a PCB source said.
“But the PCB is eager to organize the final in Lahore even if India refuses to send the team to Pakistan. Even in situations when India progresses to the finals, we want the ICC to stage all the final games at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore,” the source said.
The bilateral cricketing relations between India and Pakistan remain suspended post the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks wherein 175 people were killed and about 300 were injured.
The BCCI might urge the ICC to conduct the tournament based on a hybrid model, and shift the venues for their matches to either Sri Lanka or Dubai, as was the case during the Asia Cup, which took place a year ago. Gaddafi stadium was the ground that staged the finals of the 1996 World Cup. The stadium’s capacity is being augmented.
