Champions Trophy: ICC pitch consultant to land in Pakistan tonight to inspect venues

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council's pitch consultant Andy Atkinson will arrive in Pakistan tonight on a four-day visit to inspect venues for the 2025 Champions Trophy, confirmed well-placed sources on Tuesday.

According to the sources, Atkinson will visit three venues, starting from Karachi to inspect playing facilities. After Karachi, he will also visit Lahore and Rawalpindi.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has proposed three venues in the “initial draft schedule” of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi have been selected by the cricket board as the venues for the event, which is scheduled for February.

The eight-team tournament is anticipated to span over two weeks, although the exact dates have not been confirmed yet. The PCB settled on the venues and the schedule following a visit from an ICC team to conduct inspections.

Last month, a three-member ICC team had also inspected the three venues. The event is planned in February 2025, and the PCB has already shared the draft schedule with ICC with matches at these three venues.

It is also expected that during the visit, Atkinson will also share his input with local ground staff for the preparation of wickets for the mega event.

The next official ICC meeting is the global body's annual conference in July.

This event will mark the return of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year hiatus, with its last occurrence in 2017, when Pakistan emerged victorious by defeating India in the final.

The teams confirmed for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy include: Pakistan (hosts), India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan, England, and Bangladesh.