International Cricket Council Delays Champions Trophy Decision

Former Pakistan player Mohammad Amir has expressed his support for the hybrid model of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament to be held in Pakistan. The sportsman said that cricket fans will always find a way to follow the matches irrespective of the venue. However, Amir also expressed his displeasure over the delay in decision making by the International Cricket Council (ICC). If you want to get emotional without slowdowns, try Dafabet.

Decision on the Tournament

Under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the ICC has decided on the rights to host the Champions Trophy 2025. As per the approved plan, the competition will be held in Pakistan as well as at a neutral venue. This hybrid model will apply to a number of events in the 2024-2027 cycle between India and Pakistan.

Amir welcomed the decision, especially regarding the match between India and Pakistan. In an interview with Cricket Predicta founder Sunil Yash Kalra, he said:

"As a cricketer, I am happy with the announcement of the India-Pakistan match in the Champions Trophy 2025 at a neutral venue. Even if this competition takes place on the moon, fans will still find a way to see it."

Amir emphasised that the value of such games lies not in the venue but in the fact that the two teams meet. He added that the upcoming match between India and Pakistan will be an important event for fans around the world.

Despite being happy about the final decision, Mohammad Amir expressed dissatisfaction with the International Cricket Council. In his opinion, the ICC has delayed a decision on the 2025 Champions Trophy for too long.

"Why did work on the tournament start only two months ago when the schedule of the competition is set till 2031?The ICC acted extremely slowly and could have resolved the issue much earlier. Everyone wanted to see a match between India and Pakistan for a long time, including me,’ he said.

Hybrid Model for Tournaments

The hybrid model adopted assumes that matches between India and Pakistan scheduled for ICC events from 2024 to 2027 will be played at neutral venues. This applies to the following competitions:

• ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan;
• ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 to be organised by India;
• ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

In addition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been awarded the right to host the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2028. Neutral venue rules will also apply for this tournament.

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Expectations for Champions Trophy 2025

Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to take place in February and March. Eight teams will take part in the tournament with Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan as the host nation. The exact schedule of the competition will be announced later.

Pakistan, who won the last Champions Trophy in 2017, are looking to defend their title. The team had defeated India in the final then.

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have significantly limited their sporting interactions. India have not visited Pakistan for tournaments since 2008, the last one being the Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between the two countries took place in 2012-13 in India and included white-ball matches.

Since then, the teams have only met in ICC international tournaments or Asian Cups. This makes every India-Pakistan clash a real highlight for cricket fans around the world.

The hybrid model adopted for the 2025 Champions Trophy and other tournaments creates an environment for greater team participation despite political constraints. However, experts say the ICC needs to improve organisational processes to avoid such delays in the future. Fans are looking forward to the tournament, which promises to be one of the highlights of the cricketing world.