The Board of Control for Cricket in India, BCCI, had put forth a strong objection to the itinerary of the ICC Champions Trophy exhibition tour in Pakistan. The original plan included visits to some cities in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, PoK. India protested which led to the prompt intervention of the International Cricket Council, ICC, where the itinerary was revised to exclude any PoK location.
Rescheduled Champions Trophy 2025 schedule
PCB Rescheduled Champions Trophy 2025 Tour Schedule
The new schedule just speaks about cities in the mainland country, as far as the trophy tours are concerned: Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, and lots of other attractions. The new route features stops in Taxila, Khanpur, Murree, Nathia Gali, and Karachi from November 17 to 25, 2024. It begins at the capital city of Islamabad as the display is erected before it travels through other major cities, most of which are very popular tourist attractions.
Such a decision was a fallout from the protest by BCCI secretary Jai Shah, who harbored his stand against India hosting cities in PoK, a region still hotly debated between India and Pakistan. The ICC was quick to announce a new schedule to respond to the concerns of the Indian board omitting Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad in PoK, originally part of the itinerary.
The trophy will then proceed to Afghanistan from November 26-28, to Bangladesh from December 10-13 to South Africa from December 15-22, to Australia from December 25 – January 5, to New Zealand from January 6-11 to England from January 12-14, and finally to India from January 15-26.
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The championship, Pakistan won in 2017 at The Oval when they defeated India in the final, is due next in 2024. But controversy has surfaced now that Pakistan will after all not host the tournament given its current political turmoil, where India is said to have opted out of touring Pakistan. The ICC is in discussions with the PCB. Possible alternative scenarios include a neutrally held setting competition that should be hosted in the United Arab Emirates or South Africa and a hybrid model.
But behind all the controversies, it is surprising that the PCB has claimed it and the ICC arrived together at the rearranged trophy tour schedule, which had of course been a unilateral decision by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The fate of the 2024 Champions Trophy remains now in flux as negotiations are currently underway between the ICC, PCB, and BCCI to sort out the question.
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