Pakistan choose Dubai as Champions Trophy neutral venue
ICC is likely to announce a final tournament schedule later next week
Karachi: Host nation Pakistan on Sunday chose Dubai as a neutral venue for next year’s Champions Trophy after India refused to travel to their neighbours for the tournament, officials announced.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday said that all matches involving India in the eight-team event would be held outside of Pakistan.
Month-long stand-off
As part of the same agreement, Pakistan will play at a neutral venue in any event hosted by India until 2027, a compromise reached after a month-long stand-off between the two arch-rivals.
“Pakistan has chosen Dubai as the neutral venue for the Champions Trophy and it has been conveyed to the ICC officially, meaning India will play its matches there,” said a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman.
The Champions Trophy will also feature Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh with the event running from February 19 to March 9, 2025.
Full schedule
The ICC is likely to announce a final tournament schedule later next week.
Pakistan and India now only play each other in multinational events such as the World Cup and Asia Cup.