- Pakistan will host the remaining matches of the tournament.
- PCB notifies ICC to finalize neutral venue for mega event.
- The decision was taken after the Indian government rejected the players’ visit to Pakistan.
Putting an end to the heated and protracted debates over the neutral venue debacle for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today decided to name the UAE as the neutral venue for India’s matches.
A PCB spokesperson said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been notified of the decision which was taken after a meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Al Nahyan.
The issue has been circulating in both countries for a while with the Indian government refusing to allow its players to visit Pakistan for the mega event.
Now, the much-awaited Champions Trophy will be partly held in the UAE for the India matches, while the rest of the matches will be played in Pakistani stadiums.
Earlier, the president said that the decision on the neutral venue for the 2025 Champions Trophy matches in India will be finalized today, stressing: “We will ensure that cricket does not suffer.”
The PCB chief’s comments came two days after the ICC announced that the Champions Trophy will be played under a hybrid model, with India set to play their matches at a neutral venue instead of the host country, Pakistan.
The ICC Board of Directors said in a statement: “Indian and Pakistani matches hosted by either country at ICC events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be held at a neutral venue.”
“This will apply to the upcoming 2025 Men’s ICC Champions Trophy (hosted by Pakistan).”
Under the agreement, Pakistan will also play in neutral venues in the upcoming ICC tournaments hosted by India.
The statement added that the agreement will extend to the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup, hosted by India, and the 2026 Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, hosted by India and Sri Lanka.