The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sent the Champions Trophy silverware to Pakistan as part of an official tour, despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the tournament’s schedule and format. The trophy arrived in Islamabad on Thursday, with a nationwide tour planned from November 16 to 24. The tour will take the prestigious trophy to locations including Murree, Hunza, Muzaffarabad, Skardu, and even the peak of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.
However, the trophy will not visit the three main cities designated for the 2025 tournament – Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi – due to the prevailing smog in these areas. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the government are instead focusing on promoting tourism by showcasing the trophy in less-visited regions.
The 2025 Champions Trophy will be the first edition of the tournament since 2017 when Pakistan triumphed. However, there has been no progress on the tournament’s key scheduling issue, particularly regarding India’s participation. India has refused to tour Pakistan for the February 19-March 9 event, and no solution has yet been found for the proposed hybrid model, which would allow Pakistan to host while India plays its matches at a neutral venue.
The ICC is working to resolve the deadlock, with some sources expressing optimism that a compromise will be reached soon. In the meantime, an influential Pakistani figure has suggested that back-channel talks, including direct discussions between former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may help break the impasse.
The uncertainty surrounding the event’s logistics has left the future of the Champions Trophy hanging in the balance, with all eyes now on the ICC to make a decision.
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