Multan, Oct 16 (IANS): With the 2025 Champions Trophy inching closer, there are np updates as to whether India will be traveling to Pakistan for the first time since 2008. However it is expected that the reigning T20 World Cup winners will not be going across the border.
England & Wales Cricket Board Chairman, Richard Thompsopon who is in Pakistan for the duration of the Test Match between England and Pakistan, believes that it would not be in cricket’s interest if India does not participate in the tournament.
“It would not be in cricket's interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy. It's interesting, with Jay Shah - the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC - [who] is going to have a big role to play in that. There's geopolitics, and then there's cricketing geopolitics. I think they'll find a way. They have to find a way.
"There are always security concerns in this part of the world when those two countries play each other. That will probably drive the key decisions. But I know relationships between the two countries are as amicable as they can be at the moment: we saw it play out at the [men's T20] World Cup in New York," Thompson was quoted by ESPNcricnfo as saying.
The last time Pakistan hosted a major ICC tournament was in the 1996 ODI World Cup which Sri Lanka won. Thompson suggested that the hosting the tournament is huge for Pakistan and hopes the ‘fullest possible competition’ should take place in Pakistan.
"There are a variety of different options available if those circumstances come along. But also, when was the last time Pakistan hosted any kind of ICC trophy? This is a big moment for the country, and hopefully we can have the fullest possible competition in Pakistan. If that's not possible, we know there are options available."
Set to take place from February 19 to March 9, the Champions Trophy will be played across Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
Recently speaking in Lahore, PCB president Mohsin Naqvi addressed the ongoing uncertainty surrounding India’s participation. India has not toured Pakistan since July 2008 due to political tensions between the two countries. However, Naqvi remained optimistic about India’s inclusion in the tournament.
"The Indian team should come. I don't see them cancel or postpone coming here, and we are confident we will host all the teams in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan," Naqvi told reporters in Lahore.