Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, after football and baseball. The ICC Champions Trophy is an important tournament by eight international men's
cricket teams. The last trophy in this tournament was won by the Pakistani team in 2017, and that is why they will be the hosting country for the trophy this year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is organizing this tournament from 19th February to 9th March 2025. As no other major international cricket tournaments are scheduled to happen in 2025, it is expected that the popularity of this trophy will be pretty high among cricket fans.
In 2016, ICC had decided to discontinue this tournament after 2017. The aim was to have only one major tournament in each category for cricket teams in each format. However, in November 2021, the ICC decided to bring back the tournament, and the launch was scheduled for 2025. Post the announcement of the trophy, the Pakistan Cricket Board developed a high-tech cricket stadium to host one of the most respected cricket tournaments in cricket this time round.
Pakistan will be the sole host of the first global tournament after the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in 2009. The participation of the Indian cricket team in the tournament is under significant question. Due to political and security concerns, the Government of India has refused to let the Indian cricket team participate in this tournament and travel to Pakistan.
There will be three major venues that the Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed for hosting the event in the country. These are Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. India was scheduled to play in Lahore earlier, but the team will not be a part of the tournament, as highlighted by its government. There are security concerns among the other international cricket teams as well. However, nothing major has been highlighted by the boards of the other international cricket teams.
The schedule of the tournament is still being discussed and considered. This tournament is a one-day international trophy where each team plays 50 overs to win the match. The matches will definitely be available on different channels across the globe; however, the continuation of the tournament in Pakistan is still being reviewed as several security concerns are being raised.
The country was expected to co-host this tournament, and the semi-finals and finals were scheduled in three venues. All the neighboring countries have pointed out security threats that may lead to the cancellation of the tournament in itself as well. The ICC must decide on the tournament's future and how to handle the situation politically. The official fixtures of the matches are still under consideration, and the schedule might be changed based on the new developments being raised.
Apart from this, several other men's and women's tournaments are expected to happen in 20205. Stay tuned to know more about the world of international cricket right here.