The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided the plans for the Champions Trophy Opening ceremony with multiple events scheduled across different venues.
According to insiders, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has given his final approval for all related events. The main opening ceremony is set to take place on February 16 at Hazuri Bagh, Lahore.
Additionally, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host its opening ceremony on February 07, while the National Stadium in Karachi will hold an inauguration event on February 11.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to be the chief guest at the Lahore ceremony, while president Asif Ali Zardari is likely to attend the Karachi event as the chief guest.
“The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will commence without an opening ceremony due to the delayed arrival of two participating teams.”
“As a result, traditional pre-tournament events, including the press conference featuring all eight captains and the official photoshoot in Karachi, have also been cancelled,” the report stated.
According to well-informed sources in the International Cricket Council (ICC), the arrival schedules provided by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) make it impossible for them to participate.
However, England are due to arrive in Lahore on February 18, while the Australia team is set to land on February 19.
It is reported that the Three Lions have chosed to take a break of one week following the England tour of India 2025. It is also confirmed that due to late arrivals both England and Australia have opted out of warm-up matches.
Each team is entitled to two warm-up games, but both have agreed to enter the tournament without any practice games, as they will have just concluded their respective ODI series.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and India are scheduled to reach Dubai on February 15, whereas Afghanistan will reach Islamabad on February 12.
Meanwhile, New Zealand and South Africa teams will be already in pakistan to play a tri-nation ODI series along in Lahore and Karachi from February 8 to 14.
With the tournament nears, Pakistan has opened online portal to book tickets for the tournament as the fans are eager for Stadium experience the ICC event games.
The first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played between Pakistan and New Zealand on February 19 at National Karachi Stadium.
