PCB chief ‘confident’ that Champions Trophy would be held in Pakistan

The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy is scheduled to start on February 19, and the final is on March 9. Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi have been earmarked as the venues.

Published - October 07, 2024 02:48 pm IST - Lahore

File photo of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi 

File photo of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi  | Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday (October 7, 2024) expressed confidence that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy would be held in the country and all teams, including arch-rivals India, would participate in the tournament.

The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy is scheduled to start on February 19, and the final is on March 9. Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi have been earmarked as the venues.

India hasn't sent its team to Pakistan since July 2008 due to tense political relations between the two countries.

"The Indian team should come. I don't see them cancel or postpone coming here and we are confident we will host all the teams in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan," Naqvi said.

He also said that Pakistan was prepared to host all the teams including India and preparations were on schedule.

"The stadiums will also be ready to host the matches on schedule and any remaining work would be completed after the tournament," he added.

Naqvi said the stadiums would "definitely" be in a much better shape to host the tournament in February-March.

Asked about Babar Azam's resignation from captaincy and who is going to replace him, the PCB chief said he had told the selection committee to take their time and make a long- term decision.

"I have told them to take a decision after careful consideration because the captain's position is important." Naqvi also said he had inquired from the selection committee including the captain and head coach of the teams whether it was the right time to introduce some fresh blood in the national sides.

"They said they are okay with the current set-up of players so I told them 'fine, it is your call'," he added.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.