Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif opines that India would have to participate in the Champions Trophy if they do not have a logical reason. The tourney is scheduled to take place between February-March 2025. Latif claims it will be tough for India to refuse ICC plans adding that boycotting such an event could backfire on India.
Can India skip Champions Trophy in Pakistan?
“You can refuse bilateral series but you can’t refuse ICC events. When ICC chalks out its plan, you know where you have to play, like how Pakistan knew that hey have to go to India to play World Cup and contracts are signed accordingly,” Latif said.
“It seems a bit tough to refuse ICC events. If India or Pakistan have signed in, they have to go for that event. If any circumstances happen at government level, then you have to provide logial answer as to why you aren’t coming. You can’t refuse citing the conditions in Pakistan aren’t right. In my opinion, refusing an ICC event can backfire,” he added.
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Will Team India travel to Pakistan after 16 years?
In what beckons to be the first ICC event that’ll be held in Pakistan since the 1996 ODI World Cup, the PCB will try anything they can to host the event. But, as of now, they are waiting for the ICC Board meeting that’ll be held in Sri Lanka in July.
From the looks of it, BCCI won’t likely send the India cricket team to Pakistan even if the ICC approves PCB’s proposal. The two neighboring nations have had major issues and haven’t played a bilateral series since Pakistan’s 2012/13 tour of India. The last time the Men in Blue traveled to Pakistan was in 2008 for the Asia Cup.