ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Can Pakistan hold their hosting position
Following an absence of eight long years, the ‘Mini World Cup’ is returning. About 40 days remain till the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Karachi, Pakistan on February 19. A disagreement between the BCCI and PCB, with the former insisting that India will play its matches at a neutral location rather than traveling to Pakistan, has finally put an end to months of uncertainty.
The two-time champions will play all of their matches, including the semifinal and final, if they advance, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was ultimately selected as a neutral location for the men in blue over other choices including Sri Lanka and South Africa.
However, there’s a chance that Pakistan won’t be able to realize their dream of hosting their first global tournament domestically since 1996 and that the tournament—not just India’s matches—will be abruptly moved to the United Arab Emirates.
What could be the reason for this?
The potential relocation of the entire event outside of Pakistan has nothing to do with the security situation in Pakistan or the concerns raised by any of the other teams. Instead, it’s a very different matter: development is still ongoing in the three Pakistani cities that will host matches: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
The report states that the construction of the Rawalpindi cricket stadium, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, and Karachi’s National Stadium began in August of last year and was expected to be finished by December 31. That doesn’t seem to be the case right now, though, since there is still a lot of work to be done, including building new multi-story enclosures that will house dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, installing flood lighting and seating, and installing fencing.
Weather not ideal
“The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gaddafi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet and most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing room etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met,” said a source.
In order for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to perform the quality check and make the required preparations, it is customary for the host nations of any international event to turn over the sites to them well in advance. What would happen if the PCB missed the deadline and the locations didn’t match the ICC checklist is obvious. Semi-ready sites are not permitted to host tournaments.
PCB Optimistic about their work and hosting Champions trophy
With renovations at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore and the National Bank stadium in Karachi expected to be finished before or around the deadlines, the PCB stated that the Champions Trophy preparations are well underway. Prior to the ICC Champions Trophy, PCB has set aside 17 billion rupees to upgrade its venues in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
Final Decision
According to the source, the ICC is presently debating backup plans in Dubai in case the venues are not prepared for handover to cricket’s global governing body on February 12th, which is just over a month away. The ICC will send a team to Pakistan to assess the condition of the three stadiums. One potential solution being considered is moving the entire event to the United Arab Emirates.
The ICC would be aiming to steer clear of a similar scenario in the forthcoming Champions Trophy after dealing with a tangle of infrastructure during the T20 World Cup last year, particularly with regard to the temporary site built in New York City where team India played most of their matches.