'No objections raised by any country including India' over Champions Trophy schedule

• PCB planning to hold int'l testing event in January 2025.
• Participating teams raised "no objection" to security plan.
• Final schedule of Champions Trophy yet to be announced.
  

KARACHI: No country, including India, raised any concerns about the proposed schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan during the ICC Board meeting in Dubai last month, held alongside the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, sources told Geo News.

Minutes from the board meeting indicate that the schedule, also approved by ICC broadcasters, was shared with all participating teams, and no objections were raised, highly placed sources confirmed.

"A match schedule has been developed in conjunction with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The 15 matches are to be hosted across three venues in Pakistan: Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi.

"The match schedule has been approved by ICC's main broadcast partner, Star, and each participating team has received a copy of their schedule for the event. No member has raised any concerns with the schedule as circulated," it stated.

A source in Islamabad with knowledge of the matter suggested that recent developments, including India's verbal communication to the cricket's regulatory body about its inability to travel to Pakistan, may point to "mala fide intentions" aimed at creating disruption ahead of the Champions Trophy.

"There was no discussion of such concerns during the ICC Board meeting, the appropriate forum to address such matters. Yet, just as Pakistan was set to host an event marking 100 days to the tournament, the BCCI informed the ICC of its position verbally," the source said.

The source further confirmed that a high-profile event was planned for November 11 to unveil the match schedule, event identity, and trophy tour.

During the October board meeting, the PCB had also provided updates on the progress of development work at the three venues.

The source added that the ICC had also green-signalled the PCB to host an international testing event at all three venues before the Champions Trophy which the PCB was planning to hold in January.

Before the October meeting, the PCB and ICC had jointly briefed security managers from all participating teams on the tournament's master security plan. No objections were raised at any stage, the source added.

The PCB, meanwhile, is awaiting a response from the ICC to a questionnaire sent two days back following India's verbal communication to the ICC about its inability to travel to Pakistan.

"The delay in ICC's reply suggests there is no written communication from the BCCI. If such a document existed, it would have been shared with the PCB by now. It has been two days since PCB wrote to the ICC," the source noted.

"Pakistan was announced as the host of the Champions Trophy long ago, and the host agreement was signed in December 2023. Why didn't the BCCI consult its government about travelling to Pakistan when the event was announced? Why wait until the last minute?" the source questioned.

With less than 100 days to go before the ICC Champions Trophy, the uncertainty surrounding the schedule is not only frustrating cricket fans globally but also affecting stakeholders with commercial interests tied to the tournament.

"A lot of branding and brand activation activities are currently on hold due to this uncertainty," another source said.

The final schedule, though already shared with participating teams and broadcasters, for the Champions Trophy 2025 is yet to be announced, officially.