Pakistan are scheduled to host the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy next year. If all goes as planned, this will be the first time that the nation will be hosting an ICC tournament since the 1996 ODI World Cup. And Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi is taking necessary steps to ensure the same. Currently, two main stadiums in Pakistan — Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium and Karachi's National Stadium — are currently under renovation. Naqvi has also instructed the immediate formation of necessary committees regarding the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, there are doubts as to whether India will travel to the country for the tournament or not. Last year, India refused to play the Asia Cup in Pakistan.
As a result, the tournament was held under a hybrid model, co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the latter hosting India's matches, including the final.
There has been some discussion that Champions Trophy might follow the same suite. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in over a decade due to the strained political relations between the two countries.
While Pakistan did travel to India for the ODI World Cup last year, the BCCI has iterated, time and time again, that it will only send the Indian team to Pakistan if the Central government allows.
According to a report in Geo News, Naqvi is set to meet Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, next month to discuss the same.
"The two officials are set to meet in October during the final match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup – set to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The meeting between Naqvi and Shah, scheduled for October, will be highlighting the participation of the Men in Blue in the forthcoming event in Pakistan," the report stated.
The report also claimed that the PCB is waiting for ICC's final approval regarding the Champions Trophy's schedule.
"In a recent meeting with ICC officials, the PCB requested to sign the schedule as soon as possible to ensure smooth preparations of the event. According to sources, PCB has made provisional bookings based on the proposed schedule and will be finalising it soon. The ICC is expected to make an official announcement regarding the schedule by the end of October," the report added.
Last month, Shah was appointed as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council. His tenure, however, will commence in June.