Pakistan Proposes Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi for 2025 Champions Trophy

Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi have been proposed as the venues for the 2025 Champions Trophy, according to the initial draft schedule submitted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament is scheduled for mid-February, and the PCB is working to upgrade the venues in preparation for the first ICC event in Pakistan in nearly three decades.

Pakistan, the defending champions, will host the eight-team tournament over two weeks. The exact dates are yet to be determined. The PCB finalized the venues and schedule after an ICC team conducted inspections.

"We've sent the schedule for the matches in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy," said PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. "The ICC's security team came and we had a very good meeting. They looked at arrangements here and we'll also share stadium upgrade plans with them. We're continuously in touch with the ICC. We are trying to ensure we host a very good tournament in Pakistan."

The schedule will likely be influenced by India's participation. ESPNcricinfo reports that the initial draft has all games, including India's, being played in Pakistan.

However, the fate of India's games depends on the political climate between the two countries and whether the Indian government grants permission for the BCCI to send its team to Pakistan. India has not toured Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup due to frosty relations between the governments.

Pakistan last hosted an ICC event in 1996, when they co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. Since then, security concerns have prevented teams from touring Pakistan.

The Champions Trophy will be the centerpiece of a busy home season for Pakistan, which will also host South Africa and New Zealand for an ODI tri-series before the ICC event. The PCB will need to find an appropriate window for the 10th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which could clash with other T20 leagues.

The PCB acknowledges the need to improve the stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi, which have not had significant upgrades in recent years.

"If you look at Gaddafi [stadium in Lahore], it is good, but the viewing experience is not great for cricket. Football maybe, not cricket," said Naqvi. "We need to improve facilities in the stadiums, where there are some old problems. [The National Stadium in] Karachi is in bad shape. So on May 7th, we'll finalise bids from international companies who will come and help us design. We will work with local consultants as well. We are already late but we need to do these upgrades in four-five months. It will be a very tough test but we can do it."

Tags: #Cricket, #ChampionsTrophy, #Pakistan, #ICC, #Venues