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India Not Responsible As PCB Forced To Cancel Champions Trophy Opening Ceremony

Arnav Chopra

World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)World Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com)

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With too many controversies already surrounding the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, add another one to the list as the news is coming that the opening ceremony of the global event has been scrapped. This information comes in the wake of the delayed arrival of two teams who will be participating in this event.

Adding to this, multiple media reports suggested that PCB were fully committed to organizing the opening ceremony as preparations for the event were underway. However, it was never officially confirmed.

Two Major Sides To Arrive Late For CT 2025

With all the tension brewing, it has emerged that the two prominent boards, ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and CA (Cricket Australia), have informed both the ICC and PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) that they will be arriving late for the prestigious event following their bilateral commitments against India and Sri Lanka, respectively, according to Pakistani news platform Geo Super.

The Australian side will now arrive in Lahore on February 19th, whereas the English side will reach just a day before, on the 18th of February. To the unversed, the Champions Trophy will begin on 19th February. The reason for the delay of the England and Australian sides is believed to be that they are seeking one-week and four-day breaks, respectively, following their bilateral series.

This also confirms that both the sides will not be partaking in any of the two warm-up matches that ICC allots to every participant before a global event.

Pakistan's neighbour Afghanistan will arrive in Islamabad on 12th February, whereas New Zealand and South Africa will already be in Pakistan for a tri-series that will conclude on 14th February.

Rohit Sharma's Pakistan Visit Cancelled

Moreover, there is information that pre-tournament events that are generally accustomed before any ICC (International Cricket Council) event, like photoshoots and press conferences involving the captains, have also been cancelled. All these events were supposed to happen in Karachi as there were reports of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma not travelling to the event due to security reasons.

Meanwhile, India and Bangladesh, who will be playing the match in Dubai instead of Pakistan, are scheduled to reach the UAE shores on 15th February.