According to a report from ESPNCricinfo, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has selected India to participate in all of their matches in the Champions Trophy in Lahore next year. The multi-team ICC competition is slated to take place in Pakistan in 2025, and the report indicates that PCB is considering hosting the championship in mid-February.
Lahore has been selected by the PCB to host the Indian team because of its proximity to the Wagah Border, which separates Pakistan and India; the report also states that the Champions Trophy final would take place in this city.
Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi have been chosen as the Champions Trophy's host cities. However, PCB has a very straightforward explanation for why India will only play at one location: it simplifies security and logistical planning and lessens the inconvenience of travel for Indian supporters.
India's last tour to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup, and it has been 17 years since then. There hasn't been a bilateral cricket series between the two countries in more than 11 years due to tensions in their political and diplomatic ties.
A hybrid format was used for the Asia Cup last year due to India's decision not to participate in the event in Pakistan, which was initially scheduled to serve as the hosts. Every game, including the championship game, was played in Sri Lanka by the Indian squad captained by Rohit Sharma. The Pakistani team went to India in October to play in the ODI World Cup, which was held in five different cities: Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.
Pakistan is visited by the General Manager of ICC.
Another report from PTI states that Wasim Khan, the General Manager of the ICC, visited Lahore and spoke with the PCB about the Champions Trophy. He expressed special interest in Team India's possible schedule for the competition.
According to a PCB source who spoke with the news agency, "the ICC general manager Wasim Khan also recently visited Lahore where he discussed the CT arrangements with the PCB top brass, and it was suggested that the Indian team's travel itinerary be kept to a minimum."
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