PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is expecting an assurance on India’s participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan during next week’s ICC Meeting in Dubai. India have not travelled to Pakistan since 2008, last year also the BCCI didn’t allow the team to play the Asia Cup in the neighbouring nation as the tournament was played in a hybrid model.
According to a report on PTI, Naqvi will meet the ICC Executive Board and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah where he will be looking for assurance for the Indian team travelling to Pakistan. The mega ICC tournament will be played next year in February-March.
In the past few years, the cricketing action has resumed in Pakistan but bringing India for the Champions Trophy is going to be a trick task for PCB considering the political tensions between the two countries.
“The biggest worry for the PCB is whether India will send its team to Pakistan and there is no repeat of last year’s Asia Cup issues,” a PCB source told PTI, citing the ‘Hybrid Model’ that was used last year.
Meanwhile, PCB faced the same situation as they decided to go with the hybrid model for the Asia Cup where Pakistan hosted just four games and the rest of the matches were played in Sri Lanka.
“This is an ICC event and Pakistan went last year to India for the World Cup. Naqvi will try to convince the ICC and BCCI that they need to confirm that India will be coming to Pakistan as early as possible as it will help promote the CT for them,” the source added.
“Naqvi will try to assure the BCCI representatives that with elections (in Pakistan) completed and a new government in place, there will be no security or other concerns for them to play in Pakistan.”
Pakistan have travelled to India in last year’s ODI World Cup but the Men in Blue last toured Pakistan way back in 2008 for Asia Cup.
The source said Naqvi will also brief the ICC board about the upgradation of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and the Pakistan government’s stance on India playing in Pakistan.
When a BCCI source was asked, he gave a standard reply.
“Playing in Pakistan is something that only Indian government can decide and BCCI will have to follow the government diktat. Also it is too early to even ask for government’s permission and if their new chairman is expecting some kind of assurance in March 2024 for a tournament in Feb-March 2025, he is mistaken,” the BCCI source said.
