The Pakistan government is learnt to have asked its cricket board not to give in to India’s demand of moving the Champions Trophy games to Dubai.
Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the refusal of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to cross the border for the 50-overs tournament next year. The BCCI was reported to have asked for India’s games to be shifted to a neutral venue like Dubai.
“We have been told by our government not to move any game out of Pakistan, and that will be our stand when the time comes. Right now, the ICC has just informed us about India’s decision. We have the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy so there is no way we can move the games outside Pakistan,” said a PCB official on condition of anonymity.
The official also touched upon the contents of PCB’s reply to the ICC. “We have responded to last week’s ICC letter, seeking clarifications for the BCCI’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In reply, we have sent them a questionnaire asking them the reasons for the BCCI’s decision. We are keen to know that. So right now, there is no talk of moving games,” he said.
The eight-team Champions Trophy begins on February 19 with the final on March 9, with Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi being the designated host cities.
The Champions Trophy stand-off is a throwback to the days before last year’s Asia Cup that Pakistan hosted. In the lead-up to the continental event in September 2023, India had stuck to its stand of not travelling to Pakistan, while the PCB too had been steadfast in its stand of being the sole host of the event. However, close to the start of the Asia Cup, Pakistan relented and India’s games were moved to Sri Lanka.
Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have been impacted by their thorny political relationship. The two countries haven’t played each other in a non-ICC event since 2013, and India last travelled to Pakistan more than 16 years ago.
Hopes were raised about cricket normalcy returning to the region following last month’s meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Islamabad. This was the first direct conversation between the two nations at this level since 2015.
