 "India are unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the 2024 ICC Champions Trophy. AP")
Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has cast aspersions on the country’s capability of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 given the recent unrest in Balochistan and Peshawar which resulted in a few soldiers being martyred.
Apart from the Champions Trophy, Pakistan are also set to host teams like Bangladesh, West Indies, and England in the 2024-25 season, but Basit Ali feels that the ICC tournament will not be played in the country when “soldiers are getting martyred”.
“Since the Champions Trophy is in Pakistan, and teams like England and West Indies are scheduled to tour after Bangladesh, we must pay attention to security. God forbid, the Champions Trophy won’t be played here if there is any incident in these tours. Our soldiers are getting martyred in Balochistan and Peshawar. Only the government can answer why it has been happening, but it’s wrong,” Ali said on YouTube.
The former middle-order batter also urged the government to give the visiting teams the highest level of security which is accorded to the Prime Minister or President so that international cricket can continue without a hitch in Pakistan.
“We must ensure that there is not even a small security breach. The foreign teams should get the same security as our Prime Minister and President. I am sure Mohsin Naqvi will be aware of these things,” he added.
The Indian cricket team did not travel to Pakistan last year for the Asia Cup due to security concerns and are once again most likely to avoid touring their neighbours. Just like the Asia Cup, there’s a possibility that the Champions Trophy could also be played on a hybrid model.