LAHORE: A colorful ceremony to mark the opening of the ICC champions trophy, without any participating team, will be held here at the historic Fort Lahore on Sunday.
The eight -nations Champions trophy is scheduled to begin from February 19, when Pakistan hosts face New Zealand in Karachi.
As the four teams, of the total of eight participants, are in Karachi, surprisingly, the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chose Lahore as a place for the ceremony.
Traditionally, the participating teams attend the opening ceremony before the start of the first game of the Champions Trophy, in addition to the photo sessions of the captains.
However, this time this ceremony will not be held because the Indian government refused to send his team to Pakistan to play any Champions Trophy match or attend the opening ceremony or the photo shoot of the event. As a result, all Champions Trophy matches that involve India will be held in Dubai.
In addition, the teams of England and Australia also delayed their arrival, despite finishing their respective tours of India and Sri Lanka. According to the new plan, the England team will arrive in Lahore on February 18, while the Australian tours party will be seen here on February 19.
Bangladesh and Indians teams must reach Dubai.
Four teams, New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan along with Pakistan, are currently in Karachi, preparing for their initial matches. Therefore, they cannot come to Lahore to attend the opening ceremony.
Posted in Dawn, February 16, 2025
