T20 World Cup is just about to begin with a good news about this World Cup is increasing no. of teams.
This year, 20 teams will be participate in this world cup – which will be hosted by West Indies and USA.
However, more interestingly, in the next year i.e., in 2025, Champions Trophy will be hosted by Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday that all the Champion’s Trophy matches to be played by Indian team are scheduled in Lahore. Due to the proximity of Wagah border, Lahore has been chosen by the PCB to host the India matches. Lahore will also host the Champions Trophy final.
Besides Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi have been selected for other matches.
Indian Team to visit Pak after 17 years!
It is also worth noting that the Indian team last toured to Pakistan in 2008 for Asia Cup.
In 17 years (2008-2024), it is their first tour to Pakistan to play an ICC tournament.
As there are consistent political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations, there has been an absence of bilateral series between two countries. These nations only meet when there is ICC tournaments but still in a neutral venue. In the last year, Pakistan toured to India for 50 over World Cup and they played in five venues – Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bengaluru.
Also the last year, Asia Cup was played in a hybrid model. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India played all the matches in Sri Lanka.
Why Pakistan has chosen all the Indian team’s matches in Lahore?
According to experts, this decision reflects the security concerns surrounding the Indian team’s travel within Pakistan. The location of Lahore is easily accessible to the Wagah border crossing. It is easily accessible for the Indian fans who want to travel to see the live matches. Moreover, selecting venue does not involves only one country as the final decision is taken by the ICC and also by the rest of the nations, which also includes India.
ICC General Manager visit to Pakistan
ICC’s General Manager, Wasim Khan, visited Lahore to see the organization and the conditions of the stadium. He also had a talk with the PCB over the Champion’s Trophy, with particular interest about the schedule of India matches. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has maintained that all teams would play the Champion’s Trophy in Pakistan as per schedule. He also informed that the stadium renovation work would be completed soon.
