The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will host an event on February 16 to declare the Champions Trophy open.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 edition will commence on February 19 without an opening ceremony, captains’ meet, or photoshoot in Pakistan. Traditionally, the host country of an ICC tournament organizes an event for captains’ meetings and official photoshoots. However, Pakistan, which last hosted an ICC event on its grounds in 1996 won’t be holding up an opening ceremony.
A source in the Pakistan Cricket Board revealed that the opening ceremony was forced to be canceled due to logistical reasons, which led to the unavailability of teams due to tight traveling schedules.
The tournament is being held in four different venues in two countries, and the scheduling clashes with several teams in the build-up to the tournament. The PCB said that the teams, who were expected to get to Pakistan close before the start of the tournament are facing tight scheduling clashes. Australia would be landing in Pakistan on February 19, the day of the opening match after the completion of their tour to Sri Lanka on February 14.
The latest Champions Trophy, which took place in the United Kingdom in 2017, did not have an opening ceremony. However, there was a captain’s event and an official photoshoot. The PCB said that the ICC and the Cricket Board did not announce the opening ceremony this time. However, the PCB will host an event to mark the beginning of the ICC tournament on February 16, three days before the first game.
A PCB official told ESPNcricinfo that the event would be “supported by the ICC” and ICC officials are expected to be present in Lahore at that time. This decision also resolved a diplomatic issue of Rohit Sharma visiting Pakistan for the opening ceremony. India, due to political reasons hasn’t visited Pakistan since 2008 and will compete in the tournament in a hybrid model, with all its matches, including the potential final held in Dubai.
The PCB is set to officially inaugurate the refurbished Gaddafi Stadium on February 7, with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif invited as the chief guest. Additionally, on February 11, the PCB will host a ceremony to unveil the renovated National Stadium in Karachi, where President Asif Ali Zardari will serve as the chief guest.
Read More: Icc Champions Trophy 2025 All Captain’s List
