ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 'Pakistan's grounds not ready' - Aakash Chopra fires PCB 'UAE is ready' warning

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for not having the stadiums ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 yet. He also suggested an alternative plan to the ICC and claimed that the UAE is ready to host the whole tournament.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be held in Pakistan and the UAE. The matches in Pakistan will be held in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi. However, the reports suggest that the grounds are yet not fully prepared which raises a lot of concerns.

Chopra also feels that the International Cricket Council (ICC) might need to take a call soon and argue whether the safety of the players is being compromised in such a way.

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"Pakistan is way behind the deadline" - Aakash Chopra

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra spoke on Pakistan's preparations for the Champions Trophy. He slammed the PCB for not having their stadiums ready in time.

"The truth is that their grounds are not getting ready at all. The best part I like is their sense of humor. Their reporters make very good videos. There is an undertone that they won't be able to get anything ready. They are far behind the deadline. No matter how many people you employ, it will need the required time," Chopra noted.

The former India opener argued that the ICC is risking the safety of players since the stadiums are still not ready. He claimed that the ICC will have to take a final call soon which increases the pressure on PCB.

"Pakistan is way behind the deadline. The videos always come about the Gaddafi Stadium. If your grounds are still not ready, if you don't hand them over to the ICC on January 31 or give them underprepared, the ICC may have to take a call at some stage whether it's right or wrong. Are we risking safety and security?" he added.

Aakash Chopra claims "UAE is fully ready" to host Champions Trophy

Further speaking in the video, Aakash Chopra suggested hosting the whole tournament in the UAE. He feels that the grounds in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah can be added to the list alongside Dubai to host the tournament if Pakistan fails to complete its preparations.

"20 days might still remain after that but the assessment will still have to be done whether they should keep it there only as Dubai is ready. The UAE is fully ready, you can add Sharjah and Abu Dhabi also to that," Chopra said.

It is to be noted that Dubai will host the matches involving India and the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament was scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan but the denial of the Indian government to send their team to Pakistan prompted the ICC to consider a hybrid model.

When will the Champions Trophy 2025 start?

The Champions Trophy will be played from February 19 to March 9. The first match will be played between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand on February 19 at Karachi. Meanwhile, India's first match will be against Bangladesh on February 20.

The marquee clash between India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. The tournament is being held after a gap of eight years. Pakistan are currently the defending champions as they won the tournament way back in 2017.