New Delhi, November 8, 2024-India has announced it will not travel to Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, citing security concerns. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially communicated to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it prefers to play its matches in Dubai instead.
“This has been our stance, and there is no reason to change it. We have written to them, requesting a shift to Dubai for our games,” Indian media reported on Friday, citing BCCI sources.
The Champions Trophy, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, will feature the world’s top eight teams, with Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi listed as host cities. BCCI’s decision, reportedly made “in consultation with the government,” is consistent with its earlier stance for the Asia Cup, when India also played its matches in a neutral location, Sri Lanka, despite pressure from Pakistan.
Hopes for a thaw in cricketing relations had risen after last month’s meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering in Islamabad. This high-level dialogue, the first since 2015, had sparked speculation that India might reconsider its stance on playing in Pakistan.
The PCB, led by Chairman and Pakistan Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, had reportedly offered extensive accommodations to facilitate India’s participation, even proposing that the Indian team could return to India between games. However, these overtures have not led to a change in the BCCI’s stance, and the issue appears set to reignite tensions between the two boards.
In recent years, Pakistan has successfully hosted international teams like England and Bangladesh. However, the last time India played in Pakistan was during the 2008 Asia Cup, underscoring the long-standing challenges in restoring bilateral cricket ties.
