Sydney [Australia], January 2: Former Australian cricketer and ICC ambassador Shane Watson expressed that it is “unfortunate” that the Indian cricket team will not be traveling to Pakistan for the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for next month in February.
In December 2024, under the leadership of Jay Shah, the International Cricket Council (ICC) made a decisive move, confirming that Pakistan would host the 2025 Champions Trophy, along with another neutral venue. Additionally, a hybrid model was agreed upon for all ICC events during the 2024-27 cycle, to be held in either India or Pakistan.
The 43-year-old Watson shared his disappointment, emphasizing that no cricket fan would want to miss the iconic India-Pakistan rivalry. “That’s a tricky question for me. It’s unfortunate that things have turned out this way. There’s no doubt that everyone loves watching India and Pakistan play. Whenever they meet in an ICC event, it’s always a special occasion because there’s so much at stake. The rivalry between India and Pakistan makes their games something extraordinary. No cricket fan would want to miss that match. It’s unfortunate that India isn’t traveling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy,” Watson said at a press conference.
Due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries, India has not toured Pakistan since 2008 for the Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between the two sides took place in India in 2012-13, featuring white-ball matches. Since then, India and Pakistan have primarily faced each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
The highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash will take place on Sunday, February 23. India’s group also includes Bangladesh and New Zealand, with their other matches scheduled against Bangladesh on February 20 and New Zealand on March 2, likely to be held in Dubai.
As defending champions, Pakistan will begin the tournament in Karachi on February 19, against New Zealand, with their final group match against Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi.