Pakistan Not Ready To Host Champions Trophy 2025? PCB Clarifies Position

With Pakistan being provided with the hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, questions are being raised on whether the nation is ready to host such a big global cricketing event or not. With India rejecting the plans to go and play the Asia Cup 2023 in Pakistan last year, it will interesting to see how the situation progresses this time round.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is confident about hosting the Champions Trophy next year, as a delegation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) is scheduled to arrive in the country on Monday to assess the ongoing preparations for the prestigious tournament.

Delegation To Visit Pakistan

The delegation, which will include a security expert, will visit all proposed venues, with a focus on Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. This marks Pakistan's first hosting of an ICC event since it co-hosted part of the 1996 World Cup with India.

"The delegation will be given briefings on the preparations. They will visit the venues in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi to see the upgradation work we will be carrying out for the Champions Trophy," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Sunday.

Recently, a delegation from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also visited Pakistan to review security and other arrangements for their team's upcoming tour in mid-April, featuring five T20 Internationals.

Mohsin Naqvi, PCB Chairman, reiterated the commitment to hosting the Champions Trophy as planned in Pakistan. When asked about the possibility of Pakistan responding in kind if the Indian government declined to send its team to Pakistan, Naqvi dismissed such discussions, stating that it was unnecessary to entertain such possibilities.

"We had a good meeting in Dubai on the tournament and its technical side and as far as we are concerned we see no reason the event would not be held in Pakistan so why even discuss other scenarios," he added.

Last year, India declined to send its team for the Asia Cup in August, resulting in several matches being relocated to Sri Lanka.

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