Dubai: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) signed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai on Friday.

PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf was joined by ICC General Counsel Jonathan Hall in the signing of the hosting rights to Pakistan at the ICC headquarters. The PCB in its capacity has already intimated the government to provide foolproof security to visiting international teams for the Champions Trophy. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in a recent meeting with the Chairman PCB Management Committee assured the security agencies’ cooperation in the successful hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. PM Kakar also urged the PCB Chairman Management Committee Zaka Ashraf to expand PCB’s outreach to remote regions of the country.PM Kakar also expressed support for the organisation of the ninth edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Addressing concerns about potential scheduling clashes with election day, he said adjustments to the HBL PSL matches should be made to prevent any interference with the voting process. For the unversed, ICC, in November 2021, announced a series of international cricket competitions for both men and men in the 2024–2031 cycle, which also features the 2025 and 2029 Champions Trophy editions. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be an eight-tournament and the structure will follow previous editions with two groups of four, semi-finals and final. Besides hosts Pakistan, the top seven teams at the conclusion of the group stage of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, namely Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa, qualified for the coveted tournament. Besides the hosts, Pakistan will also feature in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as the defending champions. The Green Shirts won their maiden Champions Trophy title in 2017 when they thwarted their arch-rivals India by a massive 180-run margin at The Oval in London.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 16 2023

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