Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has reiterated that the Champions Trophy would take place in Pakistan next year, with all teams expected to participate.
“I am in contact with [newly elected ICC chairman] Jay Shah,” he told reporters in Lahore on Saturday.
Pakistan will host the Men’s Champions Trophy in 2025. It will be the first major global cricket tournament to be played in Pakistan since 1996 when it hosted the Men’s Cricket World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka. The final was played in Lahore with Sri Lanka claiming the title.
But doubts remain whether neighbours India will make the trip across the border for the elite 50-overs tournament, which is being held for the first time since 2017.
India have not visited Pakistan since 2008 due to soured bilateral relations and the cricket-mad countries play each other only at multi-team events.
Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but eventual winners India were allowed to play all their matches in Sri Lanka under what the organisers called a “hybrid model”. India said they did not get permission from their government to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year.
Naqvi assured that all three stadiums would be ready before the big event and that the PCB was in communication with the boards of the participating teams.
He also said that the Test series against England would be held in Multan and Rawalpindi.
Pakistan would host England in October for a three Test-match series, which would be part of the World Test Championship.
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The hosts have lost their last three fixtures on home turf and the recent against Bangladesh was historic. The visitors not just won their first match of the longest-format of the game but also whitewashed the series.
The decision regarding the captain would be made after consultations, Naqvi said.
When asked, the PCB chairman said: “There are no concerns regarding Jay Shah’s new position.” Jay, son of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home minister Amit Shah, was unanimously elected as the new independent chair of the ICC last month.
