LAHORE: With the absent participating teams, some members of the 2017 Victorious Squadron of Pakistan provided the stellar power as the inauguration ceremony of the this year’s ICC champions trophy was held at the Deewan-E-AAM of the Historic Fort of Lahore on Sunday .
The hosts of Pakistan enter the tournament of February 19, March 9 as defenders after the International Cricket Council had decided to eliminate the tournament before finding a space to return to the calendar.
“I hope the team can defend the title in their homeland,” Sarfraz Ahmed, the Captain of the 2017 Pakistan team during a discussion panel along with former South Africa hitting JP Duminy and former Zealand Tim Southee panels.
“Those were unforgettable moments for us after lifting the trophy,” Sarfraz added with other members on that side of the story, including Azha and Shadab and Shadab, Khan between the audience.
During the discussion, organized by the former rapid bowling player of the Western Indies Ian Bishop, Duminy predicted that Afghanistan “could be a dark horse” for the semifinals.
Afghanistan is in group ‘B’ along with South Africa, Australia and England.
Pakistan and New Zealand, which collide in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday, are in the group ‘A’ along with India and Bangladesh.
Afghanistan, New Zealand and South Africa are already in Karachi for their initial matches next week; The last two appeared in a series of Tris against the hosts that concluded on Friday.
Having seen his former teammates cost the title of the Tri-Serie series, Southee expected more. “A very entertaining cryket awaits us in the next few days,” he said.
The tournament marks the first CPI tournament on the Pakistan floor since the 1996 ODI World Cup and the Executive President of ICC H, Geoff Alladice, hopes it will be memorable.
“The Pakistani nation has a great passion for the Cricket,” he said, appreciating the work done by the Pakistan Cricket Board to renew the three stadiums in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore for the tournament.
The PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said the tournament is an opportunity for the “country to show its great hospitality and culture.”
The Champions Trophy Opening ceremony was held for the first time without the participating teams after India’s refusal to send his team to Pakistan.
There will be no photo shoot or press conference of the captains with all the games of India that are played in the United Arab Emirates.
The agreement will also make Pakistan play his games in neutral places during tournaments organized by India.
Posted in Dawn, February 17, 2025
