India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year may trigger a strong response from the Pakistan government that may ask its cricket board to withdraw from the tournament, according to a report in ‘Dawn’.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has written to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), informing them about the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision that the Indian team won’t travel to Pakistan for the tournament, which is scheduled to be played from February 19 to March 9, 2025.
The Champions Trophy, which is making its return to the ICC calendar after 2017, could be turned into a ‘hybrid’ model, with India playing all their matches at a different venue, most likely in the UAE, while the rest of the tournament is hosted by Pakistan.
The report states that the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has “ruled out the possibility” of a hybrid model, which could force the ICC to move the entire tournament out of Pakistan.
That may lead to Pakistan pulling out of the Champions Trophy.
“In such a case, one of the options the government is mulling is that of asking the PCB to ensure Pakistan don’t participate in the Champions Trophy,” the report quoted its source.
Naqvi is also an interior minister in the country’s federal government.
India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012, but continued to face off in ICC tournaments, including the ODI World Cup last year in India.
Notably, the Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan last year was also turned into a hybrid model after India refused to play in Pakistan. India then played all their matches in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to appoint wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan as the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket teams.

Sources said that Rizwan’s meeting with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has ended and the chief has decided to name the keeper as captain of the ODI and T20I teams.

The suggestion was made by head coach Gary Kirsten and the appointment was also supported by the selectors of the national cricket team, as per the insiders.

Meanwhile, the white-ball vice-captaincy of the national team will be handed over to Salman Ali Agha.

The development came after former captain Babar Azam stepped down as white-ball captain earlier this month citing that he wanted “to prioritise my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy”.

As for the possible new skipper of the team, he is skilled and experienced in this department as he has led various teams in the domestic circuit of Pakistan as well as the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The wicketkeeper-batter was named captain of the franchise in 2021 and led his team to title victory by beating Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the PSL.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan as captain and batting all-rounder Agha Salman as the vice-captain of the cricket team for the white ball format.

Babar announced he was stepping down as Pakistan’s One-day Interna­tional and T20I skipper on October 2 in a post on his social media platform ‘X’ account, saying he wanted to focus on his playing role.

The national selection committee was tasked with finding the next white-ball captain following Azam’s resignation from the position.

While speaking to the media in Lahore, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced Rizwan and Salman as the captain and vice-captain of the cricket team for the one day international and T20 international, respectively.

Rizwan’s first assignment as the skipper will be a three-match one-day international (ODI) and T20I series against Australia commencing from November 4.

However, Agha will lead the T20I side in Zimbabwe as Rizwan is rested under a workload management plan, stated a press release issued by the cricket governing body.

Earlier in the day, the cricket board had announced their squad for the upcoming matches against Australia and Zimbabwe.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the board announced the exclusion of the former skipper Babar Azam from the second Test against England.

The former English captain highlighted the inconsistency of the board, which makes it hard to predict the future of the national team.

In regard to this he stated that there have been significant changes in the team, adding that constant upheaval hinders long-term planning.

“Pakistan has seen the replacement of 27 selectors, frequent changes in board heads, and the shifting of team captains, which has disrupted stability within the organisation,” he said. “No institution can succeed with such frequent changes.”

Continuing his conversation, the 56-year-old expressed dissatisfaction with the exclusion of the star batter Babar Azam.

He said: “After witnessing just one poor performance, how can you exclude someone in the mid of the series. Also, such decisions should be taken either before or after the series ends.”

“The issue is not with Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, or Naseem Shah. The real problem is with how Pakistan cricket is being run,” Hussain said.

Moreover, the commentator wasn’t happy with the Pakistan cricket repeatedly making decisions that are detrimental to its progress.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally announced a 16-member team for the second and third Tests against England after much deliberation, with key players including Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi out of the squad.

Young pacer Naseem Shah and experienced wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz are also not part of the team.

“Taking into consideration the current form and fitness of key players and looking ahead to Pakistan’s future assignments in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” a statement released by the cricket governing body read.

It stated that the four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, fast bowler Mohammad Ali, off-spinner Sajid Khan and all uncapped Kamran Ghulam.

Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad, the PCB added.

It further stated that leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed remains unavailable for the second Test as he is still recovering from dengue fever.

The PCB said that the same squad had been finalised for the third Test match as well, which will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi on 15 and 24 October, respectively.

Speaking to the media after the squad announcement, member of the men’s national selection committee Aqib Javed said:

“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule.”

He said that the decision to rest Babar and other key players has been made in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and its players.

“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges,” Javed added.

The former cricketer went on to say that Babar, Shaheen, Naseem and Sarfaraz remain some of “our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket”.

He expressed commitment to support the cricketers during this period so they can come back even stronger.

Speaking about those who have been included in the squad, Javed said that they now have the chance to showcase their skills against a formidable England side.

“We believe they will rise to the occasion and make the most of this opportunity in the remaining two Tests,” he added.

The second Test is set to take place from October 15-19 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the prize money for the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup, which will commence at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium from September 12.

According to the PCB, the tournament winners will receive Rs 30 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs 15 million.

The tournament, featuring five teams, will start today with a high-profile match between the Mohammad Rizwan-led UMT Markhors and the Shadab Khan-led Panthers.

The aforementioned tournament will showcase the nation’s top cricketing talent in a single-league format.

Notable figures will mentor the five participating teams: Dolphins, UMT Markhors, Panthers, Allied Bank Stallions, and Nurpur Lions.

Saud Shakeel will captain the Dolphins, with Sarfaraz Ahmed as mentor; Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Lions, guided by Waqar Younis; Mohammad Haris will captain the Stallions, with support from Shoaib Malik; Mohammad Rizwan will lead the Markhors, with Misbah-ul-Haq mentoring; and Shadab Khan will captain the Panthers, with Saqlain Mushtaq mentoring.

Matches will start at 3 pm local time, except for the Lions vs. Panthers game on September 16, which will begin at 9:30 am. The tournament includes 13 league matches, followed by three playoff games over four days, with the final scheduled for Sunday, September 29.