The last time Pakistan hosted an ICC event was the World Cup in 1996. Since then, times have seen the sport in the country undergo numerous changes, most of them aren’t to be proud of.
The ICC Champions Trophy has been held eight times since its inaugural edition in 1998. But it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the tournament’s latest edition, set to kick off on February 19, will be the most multifaceted in history.
After all, Pakistan are the hosts of the eight-team extravaganza, as we Pakistanis would like to put it. Technically though, Pakistan are the co-hosts.
How and why? We’ll come to that part of the story later.
In essence, the Champions Trophy is a short form of the classic 50-over Cricket World Cup, featuring the top eight teams in the world. Its format is cutthroat, with the teams divided into groups of four each. The single-league format means losing even one match can get a team into trouble, making each fixture crucial.
Pakistan will defend their title at home after they won the tournament in 2017, thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s memorable century, Mohammad Amir’s devastating spell and Sarfraz Ahmed’s captaincy that saw Pakistan thrash archrivals India in the final at The Oval in London.
They will defend the title at home because the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided in 2021 that Pakistan was safe enough to host a full-fledged international tournament.
The awarding
By all means, this was a huge achievement for Pakistan, given that we had been stripped of the status as a cricketing venue following the infamous attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.
To be able to restore that status, Pakistan gradually proved their mettle as a country safe for cricket by hosting top international teams including England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand between 2021 and 2022.
Other than that, the Pakistan Super League, which was staged in the United Arab Emirates in its initial years, also returned to the country in its entirety by 2022.
Pakistan was undergoing a major transformation politically during the time the ICC awarded the Champions Trophy’s hosting rights to the country, with Imran Khan having been ousted as prime minister following a vote of no-confidence and a new government taking over.
Ramiz Raja was the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairman at that time, having been appointed by Imran to the position before the latter lost his seat as PM.
The chaos was such that preparing the country for the Champions Trophy was an afterthought. A year passed by, and at the turn of 2023, Ramiz was replaced by Najam Sethi for an “interim” period.
The interim period went on for 13 more months, which also saw a second interim chairman in Zaka Ashraf run the PCB. Still, there was no talk of the Champions Trophy.
The renovation ambition
Following the 2024 general elections, Mohsin Naqvi appeared. The eventual interior minister became the first elected PCB chairman since December 2022.
On taking office, Naqvi realised there was a tournament to host hardly a year later.
It took the chairman six more months to decide he wanted to renovate Pakistan’s iconic cricket venues and hence he would fly to the United Kingdom, get cutting-edge designs made, and order some of his favourite construction consultants to start the work right away.
In October, the work would get under way and a week before the Champions Trophy opener, the National Bank Stadium in Karachi and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium would hold “inauguration” ceremonies with fancy light shows and lots of music.
The ‘fusion model’
In the meanwhile, there was India to deal with.
After the awarding of the Champions Trophy’s hosting rights to Pakistan, the PCB obliged in goodwill to allow the national team to travel to India for the 2023 World Cup, naturally expecting India to return the favour in 2025.
While bilateral cricket between the neighbouring countries has fallen prey to India’s rigid foreign policy, it has still allowed its team to play against Pakistan in ICC tournaments.
There was, hence, hope the Indians would finally travel across the border for the Champions Trophy. But that hope was paired with silence until November last year.
Only three months before the tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India decided to verbally “communicate” to the ICC, prompting the body to “send an email” to the PCB that the Indian government had decided to not allow the team to tour Pakistan.
Nothing on paper. Nothing official.
Negotiations would start behind the scenes with the ICC, the BCCI and the PCB silent throughout them. While “sources” would reveal at least some information during this time, it was finally announced on December 24, 2024, that Dubai would host all of India’s matches of the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan, as a tit-for-tat move, were allowed to opt out of playing in India in the 2025 Women’s World Cup and the 2026 T20 World Cup — to be hosted and co-hosted by India respectively.
The settlement would be unofficially named the “fusion” model, the announcement of which didn’t even include an explanation on the ICC’s part on why the decision was taken.
The whole saga, however, further exposed India’s unfair influence over the ICC, which welcomed Jay Shah — the former BCCI secretary and son of Indian home minister Amit Shah — as its new president.
That the Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan, despite India’s control over the sport due to its financial power, is nevertheless a huge blow for the country’s policymakers.
The reaction can be felt through the constant critical content being published on India’s mainstream media platforms regarding Pakistan’s readiness for the Champions Trophy.
High-octane rivalry
Politics will show up again inevitably, but now is the time for the India-Pakistan rivalry to embrace the cricketing field.
The two teams are set to clash in the most anticipated encounter of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on February 23, with the tickets for the match sold in less than an hour after they were put on sale online.
The last time the teams met in a Champions Trophy match saw Pakistan win the title in clinical fashion. But that was nearly eight years ago and much has have changed since.
Pakistan were outclassed by India in their recent meetings as the Rohit Sharma-led team beat their arch-rivals with ease in the 2023 Asia Cup and the World Cup.
On field issues
Owing to the political and administrative turmoil within the PCB between December 2022 and February 2024, Pakistan have suffered aplenty on the field.
Led by Mohammad Rizwan, they seemed to have returned to form at least in the One-day International format when they won three series on the trot and that too away from home against Australia (2-1), Zimbabwe (2-1) and South Africa (3-0), but their weaknesses have again come into focus during the recent tri-nation series involving New Zealand and South Africa.
Pakistan were beaten twice by New Zealand during the tournament, exposing the lack of firepower needed to beat the top sides.
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad has also been heavily criticised, especially due to the inclusion of all-rounder Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf despite the duo being nowhere near reckoning during the last two years.
The favourites
All the other participants of the Champions Trophy, meanwhile, have the chance to get their hands on the silverware and the iconic white jackets.
New Zealand have built a team well-equipped for South Asian conditions, having two specialist spinners in captain Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell and genuine pacers including the likes of Matt Henry and youngster Will O’Rourke. A batting line-up featuring Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell is also one to fear.
India, after their heartbreak in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, would be raring to have a go at the Champions Trophy title to validate their 50-over prowess.
Again, going with five spinners in conducive conditions and having the services of Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill at their disposal makes them a giant to deal with.
England, along with Adil Rashid’s leg-spin and a powerhouse of a batting line-up, will be strong too despite their recent struggles in white-ball cricket.
Afghanistan will be playing international cricket in Pakistan for the first time, but with most of their players having played club and domestic cricket in the country, the side will be hoping to make a difference.
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team is also being considered the side with the most dangerous spin attack, led by leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Australia, meanwhile, have been hit by injuries to their World Cup winning captain and pace spearhead Pat Cummins and fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. Their most dangerous pacer Mitchel Starc has also ruled himself out citing “personal reasons”.
Pakistan’s moment
The Champions Trophy, however, will be Pakistan’s moment to prove themselves as worthy hosts. Despite all the complications attached to the tournament since it was awarded to Pakistan, it is the country’s time to cherish and make the most of the opportunity.
The fans need to fill the stadiums and the organisers should ensure order prevails. Security plans need to be executed seamlessly and the focus should be on delivering a tournament to remember for all the good reasons.
The last time Pakistan hosted an ICC event was the World Cup in 1996. Since then, times have seen the sport in the country undergo numerous changes — most aren’t to be proud of.
The Champions Trophy does have the potential to turn Pakistan’s and its cricket’s fortunes. Will it be able to emerge victorious, both on and off the field?
Header image: The National Bank Stadium in Karachi after the completion of renovation works ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. — Reuters
