India has confirmed it will not be travelling to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy cricket tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a recent communication to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), cited security concerns as the reason for its decision. The BCCI has expressed its preference to play all their matches in Dubai instead.
“This has been our stance, and there is no reason to change it. We’ve written to them and asked for our games to be shifted to Dubai,” a source close to the matter said.
The ICC’s 50-over Champions Trophy will be held from February 19 to March 9, with Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi as the host cities. Those familiar with the matter believe the BCCI’s decision is made in consultation with the Indian government. Last year, ahead of the Asia Cup, India managed to relocate its matches to Sri Lanka despite pressure from Pakistan.
This decision follows a recent meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Islamabad. This marked the first direct high-level conversation between the two nations since 2015, raising hopes of a thaw in relations and a potential resumption of cricket ties. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, who is also the PCB Chairman, was reportedly involved in these discussions, and there were whispers that India might travel to Pakistan for the tournament.
The PCB made significant efforts to convince India to make the trip, even offering to have India’s team return to India after each match. However, it seems that these efforts have not yielded results, and the two boards are expected to resume their ongoing negotiations.
Recently, Pakistan has successfully hosted international teams like England and Bangladesh. India’s last tour to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup.
