The sports minister of India, Anurag Thakur, has made it very clear that the decision regarding India’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan, will be made only at the time of the event and the home ministry of the Indian government will make that decision considering various factors.
Anurag Thakur also said that the security situation has been a concern in Pakistan and that is the reason why many teams have decided not to tour there. There have also been situations in the past where the players, who have gone there, have been under attack. So, there is going to be a lot of consideration on the matter before a decision is made.
“It’s a big issue to deal with,” Anurag Thakur on security concerns in Pakistan
It took quite a few fans by surprise when it was announced yesterday that Pakistan would be the host of the Champions Trophy 2025 because many teams around the world are still reluctant to travel there, and it’s only recently that a couple of teams have pulled out of their tours to Pakistan.
“Even in the past, many countries have refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. As you all know, many players were even attacked while playing over there and that’s a big issue to be dealt with,” Anurag Thakur said while talking to the press reporters earlier today.
In the case of a world event in Pakistan, every team will be supposed to travel there and there might be a few teams who will not be comfortable with that. It’s a huge call taken by ICC, given how the security situation in Pakistan has been over the last couple of decades.
Pakistan, over the last decade, has played most of their home games in the UAE and it remains to be seen if the Champions Trophy 2025 will also have to be shifted to the UAE, if a few teams express unwillingness to travel to Pakistan.
