EXCLUSIVE | Pakistan Proposes Champions Trophy Opening Ceremony in Karachi

Shahid Hashmi
15 Jan 2025
11:05

Pakistan has proposed the opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy in Karachi on February 17 with high hopes of the Indian captain Rohit Sharma to attend a photo session and the International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah gracing the occasion.

Champions Trophy in Karachi

Pakistan Cricket Board sources told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net) the plan of the opening ceremony has been sent to the ICC for final approval and announcement. 

Pakistan Cricket Board Sources
Since the opening match of the Trophy -- Pakistan vs New Zealand -- is in Karachi we have planned the opening ceremony in the metropolis city. The ICC has to announce the details and we have to manage the ceremony.

All the ICC events have an opening ceremony with a photo session of all the captains of the competing teams and that makes Rohit Sharma's visit to Pakistan a rare possibility

Pakistan Cricket Board Sources
We are ready to welcome Rohit and Jay Shah with open arms and there is a plan to have an Indian music group to spice up the event.

BCCI President Roger Binny and Vice President Rajiv Shukla did visit Pakistan to attend the opening ceremony of Asia Cup in Lahore in September 2023 and witnessed the opening match of the event -- also held on a hybrid model due to India's refusal to tour Pakistan. Then India played its matches in Sri Lanka.

If the plans are approved this will be the first occasion an Indian player lands on Pakistan soil in 16 years. India forced the ICC to stage the Champions Trophy on a hybrid model with their matches on a neutral venue in Dubai. That followed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s announcement that their government has not allowed them to send the team across the border over security fears. India will play its opening match against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

The opening ceremony and the photoshoot of the 2023 ODI World Cup was attended by Pakistan captain Babar Azam who flew to Ahmedabad from the team's base camp in Hyderabad. 

Pakistan Cricket Board Sources
The opening ceremony has been planned extensively with rich Pakistan culture and the theme will be "welcome to Pakistan" as we intend to host a successful tournament.

This will be the first time Pakistan staging an ICC event since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. The country was also given the hosting rights of the 2008 Champions trophy which was relocated to South Africa a year later after top teams, including India, refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.

The terrorists' attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009 also forced the ICC to strip Pakistan of its share of 2011 World Cup matches. 

PCB has also quashed all reports of stadiums not getting ready before the January 25 deadline. They wisely relocated a tri-series matches from Multan to Karachi and Lahore. 

Pakistan Cricket Board Sources
That move has been taken to prove how ready the grounds are.

Sources confirmed that an ICC delegation visited the Karachi and Lahore stadiums and showed satisfaction over the progress of the work. 

Pakistan Cricket Board Sources
The ICC delegation has directed the PCB to complete the work in time which they believe is slightly behind schedule but not alarmingly.

Pakistan and UAE are set to stage the ICC Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9.

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