PCB confirms UAE as neutral venue for Champions Trophy

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chosen the UAE as the neutral venue to host India’s matches as per the hybrid model for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chosen the United Arab Emirates as the neutral venue for the 2025 Champions Trophy,” said PCB spokesperson Amir Mir in a statement to IANS.

“The PCB has formally informed the ICC about the neutral venue decision. Now, India and Pakistan’s Champions Trophy matches will be held in the UAE. The decision regarding the neutral venue for the Champions Trophy was to be made by the host, Pakistan.

The final decision on the venue was made after a meeting between Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman of the UAE Cricket Board, currently in Pakistan,” he added.

Previously the executive board of the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that matches between India and Pakistan in upcoming ICC events till 2027, including next year’s Champions Trophy 2025, will be played at neutral venues.

India has three group-stage games in the 2025 Champions Trophy, including one against Pakistan. Depending on India’s progress at the tournament, the UAE will also host one of the semi-finals and the final.

The neutral venue arrangements will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan) as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka). Moreover, it will also be applied to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, whose hosting rights have been awarded to Pakistan.

Due to strained political relations, India and Pakistan only compete in international events like the World Cup and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between the two nations was held in 2012-13, when Pakistan toured India for a five-match white-ball series.

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Earlier, India had refused to travel to tournament host Pakistan for the eight-team, 50-over Champions Trophy, amid its security concerns.

PCB had refused to play the Champions trophy on a so-called hybrid model, but backed down after settling on neutral venues -- for both sides in ICC tournaments.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram described the decision as “the best solution” but a loss for his country’s young cricket fans.

“Like millions of Pakistan fans I would have wanted the whole tournament to be played in Pakistan, and India touring our country,” Wasim told AFP. “But if this is the solution then it’s the best one. “It’s not a win for any country but I am saddened that this is a loss for millions of Gen Z Pakistani fans who wanted to see (Virat) Kohli, Rohit (Sharma), (Rishabh) Pant, (Jasprit) Bumrah playing in their country.”

The Champions Trophy will also feature Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Pakistan was also forced to host last year’s Asia Cup on a hybrid model with India’s matches and the final hosted in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan did, however, play in India during the 2023 ICC World Cup.

India last toured Pakistan to feature in the 2008 Asia Cup and have not played a bilateral series across the border for 18 years.

In the last few years, Pakistan has hosted the world’s top teams after improving security, emerging from cricketing isolation that began after a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Lahore.

Pakistan’s loss of several Champions Trophy matches underlines India’s dominance of cricket.

Recently, Indian cricket boss Jay Shah took up his role as the latest chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) -- the third Indian to lead the global governing body in the past decade.

At 36 he is the youngest person ever to ever serve the role.

India’s supremacy stems from the outsized revenues of its cricket board, flush with cash from its role as custodian of the most popular sport in the world’s most populous country.

Agencies