Reports: ICC satisfied with arrangements made by PCB for Champions Trophy 2025

According to fresh reports, it is being suggested that the International Cricket Council has expressed its contentment over the detailed briefing that was brought forth by the Pakistan Cricket Board about the Champions Trophy 2025. The list of arrangements was shared during an ICC meeting on Monday, during which the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, was also in attendance. 

The PCB assured the board members of the ICC that the three venues currently undergoing renovation (Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi) would be perfectly ready way within the commencement of the tournament in February next year, according to Geo News. It has also been reported that the board members of the ICC have been personally invited to make a visit to Pakistan to assess the preparations associated with the tournament. 

However, the cloud of uncertainty still lingers about India's participation in the tournament due to the event being held in Pakistan. The 2008 Asia Cup was the last time India played a cricket tournament in Pakistan due to the political tension between the two nations, particularly after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. While Pakistan have toured India on three separate occasions post the catastrophic incident, it remains to be seen whether India would do so.  

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ICC looking at three alternatives regarding conduction of Champions Trophy 2025

Some reports were recently floating around that cited the ICC considering three separate options for hosting the tournament. The first one would be to the entire tournament in Pakistan itself, and the next one would be to adopt a hybrid model that would see Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates co-host the event with India's matches and those during the knockouts to be held in Dubai. The third one would be to host the entire tournament outside of Pakistan, with Dubai, Sri Lanka, or South Africa as the possible hosts.

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The third option would be to ensure India's sureshot participation in the tournament, thus bringing in enhanced ad revenue and the influx of funds via the sale of tickets and broadcasting rights. It is also interesting to note that Pakistan has not hosted any major ICC event ever since they co-hosted the 1996 World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka.