Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali lately expressed his ideas on India‘s uncertainty about their participation within the Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in February-March subsequent yr. The uncertainty stems from the Board of Management for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) hesitation to ship the group to Pakistan with out the Indian authorities’s approval.
BCCI’s uncertainty and Hasan Ali’s robust response
The BCCI has reportedly proposed a Hybrid Mannequin to the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC), suggesting that India’s matches be hosted both in Sri Lanka or Dubai. This suggestion follows final yr’s Asia Cup format, the place Pakistan hosted the event, however India performed all their matches in Sri Lanka as a result of political tensions. Talking on Samaa TV, Hasan emphasised that the Champions Trophy needs to be performed in Pakistan, no matter India’s participation. He asserted that cricket wouldn’t finish if India selected to not take part.
“As our (PCB) chairman has already stated, if the Champions Trophy goes to be held in Pakistan, then it will likely be in Pakistan. If India doesn’t need to come, we’ll play with out them. Cricket needs to be performed in Pakistan, and if India doesn’t need to take part, it doesn’t imply cricket has ended. There are various different groups in addition to India,” Hasan stated.
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Historic context and political tensions
India haven’t performed a bilateral sequence in Pakistan because the Asia Cup 2008 as a result of strained political relations. The final sequence between the 2 groups was hosted in India from December 2012 to January 2013. Since then, their encounters have been restricted to ICC tournaments and Asia Cups. Regardless of these challenges, Pakistan received the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, whereas India claimed the title in 2013 and shared the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002.
The newest face-off between the 2 arch-rivals was throughout the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, the place India secured a slender seven-run victory over Pakistan on the Nassau County Worldwide Stadium in New York. The political rigidity between the 2 international locations continues to have an effect on their cricketing ties, making the scenario for the Champions Trophy complicated.