New Delhi. ICC announced the new schedule of the Champions Trophy 2025 tour. After strong opposition from India, ICC acted on this and did not include the cities of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in the program released for the Champions Trophy Tour in Pakistan. The trophy will now be displayed in Abbottabad in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, apart from Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The trophy will be first displayed in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. After this she will travel to other cities of the country, Taxila and Khanpur (17 November), Abbottabad (18 November), Muri (19 November) and Nathia Gali (20 November). His visit will conclude in Karachi (22-25 November). Most of the cities through which the trophy will pass are important from tourism point of view.
Earlier, the program announced by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on November 14 also included cities like Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad in POK, the disputed area between India and Pakistan. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jai Shah lodged a strong protest with the ICC over the inclusion of PoK in the PCB’s programme. The world body immediately acted on this and removed the cities of PoK from the program released on Saturday.
Pakistan is the current champion of this competition
After the Pakistan tour, the trophy will be given to Afghanistan (26-28 November), Bangladesh (10-13 December), South Africa (15-22 December), Australia (25 December to 5 January), New Zealand (6-11 January), England (12-14 January) and India (15-26 January). ICC will release the schedule of cities in which the trophy will be displayed outside Pakistan later. Pakistan is the current champion of this competition, having won the title in 2017 by defeating India in the final at the Oval in London.
‘There is apprehension regarding organizing the tournament’
This time there is apprehension regarding the organization of the tournament because according to reports India has refused to tour Pakistan. ICC is in talks with PCB to find a solution. These also include adopting a hybrid model or organizing it outside Pakistan such as the United Arab Emirates or South Africa. PCB sources had yesterday said that the trophy tour schedule was issued after getting approval from the ICC and it was not a unilateral decision by the PCB.
Tags: BCCI Cricket, Champions Trophy, ICC Cricket News, PCB Chairman
FIRST PUBLISHED: November 16, 2024, 18:01 IST