A major milestone for international cricket was reached tuesday when the international cricket Council (ICC) revealed the much-anticipated Champions Trophy 2025 schedule.

Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the pakistan cricket Board (PCB), expressed his delight and confidence about Pakistan's hosting role for the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in a hybrid format.

pakistan has never hosted a major ICC tournament since the 1996 world cup, therefore this is a historic occasion for the country.The inaugural game of the eight-team Champions Trophy 2025 will take place in Karachi on february 19 between hosts pakistan and New Zealand. Unless india qualifies, which would move the final to dubai, the event will end on march 9 with a final in Lahore.

Naqvi emphasised the significance of this milestone for pakistan cricket by saying, "We are pleased that an agreement has been reached based on the principles of equality and respect, showcasing the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that defines our sport."Additionally, he thanked the ICC for allowing pakistan and dubai to co-host the competition. "Holding the Champions Trophy is an important milestone for pakistan, demonstrating our ability as a top event producer and our dedication to advancing cricket at the highest level.

pakistan is thrilled to welcome everyone to the Champions Trophy, and we're looking forward to showing everyone our famous hospitality," he continued.With games planned in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, this hybrid format guarantees that pakistan will host most of the matches. There will be three group-stage games at each location. All of India's games, including their opening match against bangladesh on february 20 and their much awaited showdown versus pakistan on february 23, will take place in Dubai.

Jay Shah, the chairman of the ICC, also used X to share his thoughts about the next competition. The post on X said, "I'm really looking forward to the @ICC Men's Champions Trophy starting in February."

Reserve days have been set aside for both the semi-finals and the final, with dates set for march 4 in dubai and march 5 in Lahore.The championship match will take place in Lahore unless india advances to the final, which would also be transferred to Dubai.

Both the semi-finals and the final have reserved days. On february 20, india will play bangladesh in the dubai leg. afghanistan will play south africa in Karachi on february 21 to kick off the Group B campaign.

The ICC had to postpone its announcement for over a month since india had previously declined to visit pakistan because to security concerns.

In a statement, ICC head Jay Shah said, "The ICC is delighted to release the schedule... marking the tournament's much-anticipated first return since 2017.""The thrilling competition, in which eight teams battle it out to claim the iconic white jackets, will provide fans with 15 matches of unmissable entertainment."This edition will be held in pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, and since dubai is also home to the ICC headquarters, it offers a chance to highlight cricket's greatest traditions while incorporating modern elements.

All of the Group B matches for afghanistan, australia, England, and south africa will take place in Pakistan.

Following extensive discussions among the members of the ICC Board, the organisation that oversees the game has also decided that pakistan will not participate in the 2024–2027 cycle in India.

India's rejection to travel to pakistan for the Champions Trophy has prompted this tit-for-tat reaction.This implies that when india hosts the 2025 women's world cup and co-hosts the 2026 men's t20 world cup with sri lanka, pakistan will travel to a neutral location.

The 2028 women's t20 world cup was given to pakistan by the ICC as restitution for not hosting india at the Champions Trophy.

Since 2012, when pakistan visited india for a bilateral one-day international (ODI) series, political tensions between the two nations have prohibited their teams from visiting each other's nations.

In ICC competitions, both teams frequently play one another; last year, pakistan travelled to india for the men's World Cup. However, before to that, india played all of their Asia Cup matches in sri lanka and declined to go to Pakistan.The PCB has invested millions of dollars to improve the stadiums in Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore, with the goal of having the work finished by the middle of January.

Agencies

Schedule:

Feb.19: pakistan vs new zealand, Karachi

Feb.20: bangladesh vs india, Dubai

Feb.21: afghanistan vs south africa, Karachi

Feb.22: australia vs England, Lahore

Feb.23: pakistan vs india, Dubai

Feb.24: bangladesh vs new zealand, Rawalpindi

Feb.25: australia vs south africa, Rawalpindi

Feb.26: afghanistan vs England, Lahore

Feb.27: pakistan vs bangladesh, Rawalpindi

Feb.28: afghanistan vs australia, Lahore

march 1: south africa vs England, Karachi

march 2: new zealand vs india, Dubai

march 4: Semi-final 1, Dubai

march 5: Semi-final 2, Lahore

march 9: Final, Lahore (unless india qualify, when it will be played in Dubai)