The International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this week to discuss the future of next year’s Champions Trophy after India confirmed it would not play in Pakistan, the tournament’s host nation.
Earlier this month, the ICC informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that India would not participate in the eight-team tournament, leaving the event’s fate uncertain. The ongoing political tensions between the two countries, which have fought three wars since their 1947 partition, often spill over into their cricketing rivalry.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed that a meeting will be held on Friday to address the issue, but did not provide further details.
The PCB has rejected proposals to play India’s matches in a neutral location, insisting that the tournament, scheduled for February 19 to March 9, 2025, must be held in Pakistan.
While India’s cricket board has not yet commented, political tensions have kept the two nations from playing a bilateral cricket series for over a decade. They only meet in multi-nation ICC events.
Pakistan has faced a long drought of international cricket matches at home, with teams refusing to visit following the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. However, international cricket resumed in Pakistan in 2020, and Pakistan recently hosted top teams like Australia, England, and South Africa for successful series.
The Champions Trophy would be the first ICC event held in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.
