ICC chairman confident all teams will travel to Paksiatn for 2025 Champions Trophy

ICC announced the road map for its upcoming mega-events from 2024-31 and Pakistan was given the host rights for the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled in 2025.

Read More: Pakistan to host ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Days after the announcement, the Indian government showed concern about their participation in the ICC event.

Last week, Anurag Thakur, India’s sports minister and former cricket board chairman, told reporters that the government’s biggest worry was security and that the decision would be made when the time came.

International teams had boycotted the Pakistan tour since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan players in Lahore in 2009.

Pakistan will be going to host any ICC event after thirty years, last time Pakistan staged an ICC event was in 1996 when they co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.

Asked if ICC was confident teams would visit Pakistan, chairman Greg Barclay said, “From what we can see, absolutely.”

“We wouldn’t have awarded the event if we didn’t think Pakistan was capable of hosting it.

“I’m sure, as with all countries, they will put together appropriate security plans to deliver the event. We’re comfortable and confident it will go ahead.”

There were fears that New Zealand and England’s decisions might dampen the possibilities of international cricket in Pakistan once more, but Australia announced this month that they would tour Pakistan next year for the first time since 1998.

In 2013, India hosted Pakistan in a bilateral series, but the fierce rivals now rarely meet outside of global championships. Pakistan competed in the 2011 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.

“We know it’s a challenging issue,” Barclay said. “From my point of view, I can’t control geopolitical forces.

“I just hope cricket can be a force to help improve relations between countries. One of the great things sports can do is to help bring nations together. If we can do something in a small way to contribute to that, that’s fantastic.”