Wasim Akram makes plea to India ahead of Champions Trophy to travel to Pakistan for the tournament in February.
Wasim Akram believes India will get looked after “amazingly well” if they travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. He also believes that it will be a great endorsement for cricket in general.
“I think whatever I’m reading, there are positive vibes from [the] Indian government and [the] BCCI,” Akram said. “I also read somewhere they will play probably all their games in Lahore. They will probably come to Lahore and travel [back] the same night. I’m all for it, as long as India is comfortable.
“And I can promise you, they [are] going to get looked after amazingly well. I mean, Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, [Hardik] Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, they have fans in Pakistan. The young cricket fans adore them.”
The PCB is still committed to holding the whole 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9. It has even suggested holding all of India’s games in Lahore, which is near the Indian border and simplifies logistics and security issues. Additionally, the PCB announced that it will provide roughly 17,000 visas to Indian supporters who wished to support their team. If India makes it to the semi-finals, the final and any subsequent matches will take place in Lahore.
Akram expressed optimism that India would visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy ahead of Pakistan’s six-match ODI and T20I trip to Australia, which kicks off on Monday.
“People-to-people contact is very important in this day and age,” he said. “In this social media age, there’s so much negativity all over the world. Unnecessary negativity in my opinion, and I think if India come, it will be great for cricket. And of course, it’ll be great for Pakistan too.”
The UAE is thought to be the most likely, but not the only, alternative location should any portion of the Champions Trophy be moved, as India hasn’t played an international match in Pakistan since 2008. The Asia Cup was changed to a hybrid format last year, with the final stages being held in Sri Lanka, after the BCCI failed to send a team to Pakistan.
However, shortly after, Pakistan went to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they were unable to get past the semi-finals.
Eight teams will compete for the Champions Trophy, with two groups of four, semi-finals, and a final. Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa are among the teams who are competing.