Newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi is keen to get assurance from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah related to Team India traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, slated to take place in February 2025.
As per the reports in PTI, it is learned that Mohsin Naqvi will be traveling to Dubai next week for the ICC Meeting and he will be putting his demand. The PCB Chairman is also planning to talk to Jay Shah on the sidelines related to the same.
It is likely that Jay Shah,won’t be giving any commitments because the decision of the Indian team traveling to Pakistan will be dependent on the Indian government. With Champions Trophy 2025 still one year away from now, there are high chance that BCCI won’t be making any comments.
A source close to PCB claimed that the biggest worry for Pakistan will be getting the Indian team to play the Champions Trophy at their home. He stated that the governing body would be hoping of not to have a hybrid model like Asia Cup 2023. He stated:
“The biggest worry for the PCB is whether India will send its team to Pakistan and there is no repeat of last year’s Asia Cup issues.”
Asia Cup 2023 was earlier scheduled to be played in Pakistan. However, BCCI didn’t agree to send the India team. This led the way for the hybrid model to take its place. The tournament was then played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with India playing their games in the Island nation along with the final as well.
India and Pakistan haven’t played a bilateral series with each other since 2013. Due to the political tensions between the nations, they only play each other in the ICC tournaments and the Asia Cups. The last India was to Pakistan was in 2008 during the Asia Cup.
Since then Pakistan has traveled to India four times in ICC World Cup events in 2011 (ODI World Cup), 2016 (T20 World Cup), and 2023 (ODI World Cup) and the ODI and the T20I series in 2012-13.
Mohsin Naqvi to convince the ICC and BCCI that they need to confirm that India will be coming to Pakistan – Reports
The PCB source further stated that since the Champions Trophy will be an ICC event, Mohsin Naqvi will try to convince the ICC and BCCI to participate. The reports claimed that the PCB Chairman would also be assuring the security of the team as well. He added:
“This is an ICC event and Pakistan went last year to India for the World Cup. Naqvi will try to convince the ICC and BCCI that they need to confirm that India will be coming to Pakistan as early as possible as it will help promote the CT for them.
“Naqvi will try to assure the BCCI representatives that with elections (in Pakistan) completed and a new government in place, there will be no security or other concerns for them to play in Pakistan.”
BCCI source was also asked about India traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Replying to this, he stated PCB Chairman was mistaken in that BCCI would give them assurance about the tournament now. He added:
“‘Playing in Pakistan is something that only the Indian government can decide and BCCI will have to follow the government diktat. Also, it is too early to even ask for the government’s permission and if their new chairman is expecting some kind of assurance in March 2024 for a tournament in Feb-March 2025, he is mistaken,” he concluded.
