The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan is only a few months away, and still there is no clarity if India will go to the neighboring country, to play their matches. Till now, the BCCI has maintained a stance that the government of India will take the call, whether to send the team or not. But for now, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has assured the Indian fans of a smooth visa issuance policy.
The announcement came on Friday, after meeting a group of Sikh pilgrims in the USA. “We will be keeping a special quota of tickets for Indian fans and we will try to make the visa issuance policy brisk,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by a newspaper. He went on to say, that he wanted the Indian fans to go and watch all the matches in Lahore.
Meanwhile, ICC tournaments return to Pakistan after a gap of 29 years, where they had last hosted the 1996 World Cup jointly. Now, this ICC Champions Trophy is to be played in Feb-March 2025, while the IPL will be played post that. Also, the last time an Indian team went to Pakistan for a tour, was in 2008, during the Asia Cup.
India vs Pakistan, Hong Kong Sixes
But, the India and Pakistan players were treated to a classic old-style match at the Hong Kong Sixes, where the arch-rivals were in supreme form. Batting first, India scored 119/2 in 6 overs, while Pakistan chased down the target in 5 overs only. Bharat Chipli was the highest-scorer for IND, with 53 from 16. For PAK, Asif Ali scored 55 from 14, at a strike rate of 395, while Muhammad Akhlaq chipped in with 40.