The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to propose Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as the venue for the India cricket team’s matches at the Champions Trophy 2025. This comes days after the PCB named Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi as the three venues where they wish to host the ICC event in February-March next year.
“We’ve sent the schedule for the matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said a couple of days ago at a press conference in Lahore.
Proposal for Champions Trophy 2025 yet to be accepted
According to ARY News, PCB wishes to host all of India’s matches, including the electric IND vs PAK encounter, in Lahore. The proposal will be presented at the ICC Board meeting in July, which will be held in Sri Lanka.
Even if the ICC clears it, the BCCI will most likely refuse to accept the proposal for the Champions Trophy 2025, given the history between the two nations. Last year, Pakistan was announced as the host for the T20 Asia Cup, but India refused to play their matches in Pakistan, and the majority of the event had to be shifted to Sri Lanka.
Something similar can be expected this time around as well. As the biggest powerhouse in cricket, BCCI will likely flex its muscles and ensure that they don’t play a match in Pakistan. The last time the arch-rivals played a Test series was in 2007-08 and they haven’t played a white-ball series since 2012-13.
Although they regularly meet at ICC events, including the Champions Trophy in 2017, it’s unlikely India will travel to Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan traveled to India just last year for the ODI World Cup.
“The ICC’s security team came, and we had a very good meeting. They looked at arrangements here, and we’ll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We’re continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said, ensuring player safety for Champions Trophy 2025.
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