Pakistani cricket team to pull out of World Cup if Indian cricket team doesn’t play Champions Trophy

  • Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatens
  • Pakistan to host ‘Champions Trophy’ in 2025
Indian Cricket Team. (Credit – WION)

New Delhi – Pakistan will host the upcoming ICC Champion Trophy 2025 and has prepared a schedule of the event. According to this schedule, the Indian cricket team will play matches in Lahore. India has, however, taken a stand that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy and matches with India may be played at venues other than in Pakistan. In response, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to withdraw from ICC T-20 World Cup 2026, which is to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, if the Indian team refuses to play Champions Trophy in Pakistan. PCB is determined to play all matches in Pakistan.

After the terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008, the relations between India and Pakistan Cricket Boards have been strained due to political and security reasons. The cricket matches between India and Pakistan were cancelled after the terrorist attack. The Indian team’s last tour to Pakistan was in 2008 to play in Asia Cup. Since then, both the teams have faced each other in ICC matches or in Asia Cup only on soils of other countries.

Editorial Perspective

  • The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is financially strong and can put pressure even on the International Cricket Council (ICC); therefore, the BCCI should ignore such threats by Pakistan.
  • Not only India but cricket boards all over the world should boycott Pakistan, for being a country that sponsors terrorism.