The ICC Champions Trophy is set to take place for the first time in eight years, with Pakistan hosting the event next year. This will be the first significant ICC tournament in the country since they shared the hosting duties for the 1996 ODI World Cup.
Yet, there remains doubt about whether the entire competition will be held in Pakistan. Some reports suggest that the BCCI might not allow its team to travel to Pakistan because the Indian government might not give them permission.
Because of the difficult relationship between the two countries, India and Pakistan have not played cricket against each other for a long time.
Also, India and Pakistan only compete against each other in international or regional tournaments. According to news, there might be a chance that the 2025 Champions Trophy could be organized like the Asia Cup was last year.
Former Pakistani cricket player Basit Ali has identified another significant issue regarding Pakistan’s ability to host the tournament.
In the next five months, Pakistan is set to host teams from Bangladesh, England, and the West Indies. Basit believes that the visiting teams must receive the highest level of security during these series. He warns that even a small security oversight could lead to the Champions Trophy being relocated from Pakistan.
“The Champions Trophy is taking place in Pakistan,” Basit mentioned on his YouTube channel. “Following Bangladesh, England and the West Indies are also set to visit Pakistan, so we need to strengthen our security measures. If anything unfortunate happens during these tours, Pakistan could lose the right to host the Champions Trophy. Our soldiers are being killed in Balochistan and Peshawar. Our government can better explain the reasons behind this, but it’s definitely not right.”
“We can’t afford any small mistakes. We should provide the same level of security to the visiting teams as we do for the Prime Minister. There shouldn’t be any minor incidents. PCB chairman Mohsin will be aware of this importance,” he further stated.
