After three decades, Pakistan’s cricket fans finally get to witness their country host a major International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament. The Champions Trophy kicks off on Wednesday, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi.
This marks Pakistan’s first significant ICC tournament since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka and India. However, the country’s cricketing journey was derailed for years after a 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, which led to a decade-long hiatus for international teams due to security concerns. The Sri Lankan test team’s return in 2019 marked the beginning of slow progress in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan, a country where cricket is by far the most popular sport.
While there has been steady improvement, the return of major events hasn’t come without its challenges.
Due to longstanding tensions over the disputed Kashmir region, India will not be sending its team to Pakistan. Instead, India, the financial powerhouse of world cricket, will play its matches in the United Arab Emirates. This hybrid hosting model, where Pakistan hosts most of the matches and India’s games are played in neutral venues, is a result of the strained relationship between the two nations. India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, and the two teams generally only meet in major international tournaments, such as the World Cup.
In 2023, Pakistan traveled to India for the 50-over World Cup, but India’s refusal to reciprocate raised doubts about this Champions Trophy event. However, both countries, with the intervention of the ICC, reached an agreement. This arrangement mirrors the 2023 Asian Cup, where Pakistan hosted the tournament but India played its matches in Sri Lanka.
Looking ahead, Pakistan has also been awarded the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup. Furthermore, the ICC has agreed in principle that when India hosts ICC tournaments until 2027, Pakistan will play its matches at a neutral venue.
When Pakistan and India face off in ICC tournaments, the matches are eagerly anticipated by over a billion cricket fans. The group-stage encounter on February 23 in Dubai will undoubtedly capture widespread attention.
Pakistan will host 10 games, including one semi-final, with the final scheduled for Lahore on March 9—provided India doesn’t qualify. Dubai will host all three of India’s group-stage matches, along with a semi-final.
What is the Champions Trophy?
The Champions Trophy, an international cricket tournament, was discontinued by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after its eighth edition in 2017, where Pakistan, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed, defeated India in the final. This tournament, which began in 1998, was initially held every two years before transitioning to a four-year cycle, often scheduled between World Cups, the most prestigious event in one-day international (ODI) cricket.
The Champions Trophy featured the world’s top cricketing nations, competing in the 50-over format, which is one of the three main formats of international cricket alongside Test matches (which last up to five days) and Twenty20 (T20) games (which last just a few hours).
While Pakistan was originally set to host the 2008 Champions Trophy, security concerns led to the tournament being moved to South Africa. In 2021, India was scheduled to host the Champions Trophy, but the tournament was replaced by the T20 World Cup, which was instead played in the UAE.
This year, the Champions Trophy returns with eight teams, based on their rankings following the 2023 World Cup in India. Host nation Pakistan is joined by India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh in Group A, while England, South Africa, Australia, and Afghanistan make up Group B.
Notably, two former winners—Sri Lanka and the West Indies—failed to qualify for this ninth edition, which features 15 matches over 19 days.
Stars Missing
Australia’s campaign will be without its World Cup-winning pace trio, with Mitchell Starc joining the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood on the sidelines. Additionally, Marcus Stoinis has retired from ODI cricket, and Mitchell Marsh is unavailable due to injury. As a result, Australia will lean on its bench strength in pursuit of the only ICC trophy missing from its collection.
India’s star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, will miss the tournament due to a back injury sustained during the Test series against Australia in January. England’s Jacob Bethell and Afghanistan’s AM Ghazanfar are also sidelined with injuries. New Zealand is awaiting an update on fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, who suffered a hamstring injury during a recent T20 league series.
Stadium Upgrades
Ahead of the tournament, Pakistan made significant upgrades to three of its major stadiums—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—investing millions of dollars and working tirelessly over the past four months. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium underwent a massive renovation, with all stands being rebuilt in just 117 days, a process described as a “miracle” by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Major upgrades were also made to Karachi’s National Bank Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Karachi will host the tournament’s opening match on Wednesday between Pakistan and New Zealand.
