- विज्ञापन -
Islamabad: There will be no opening ceremony before the Champions Trophy 2025. There will also be no official ICC captain photoshoot. The event is usually held in the host country of an ICC tournament, but it will not be part of the preparations for the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan, which is the first ICC tournament in the country since 1996.
A source told Cricbuzz, ‘ICC or PCB never announced the opening ceremony. Some teams are reaching Pakistan late, so it is not possible.’
Earlier on Thursday, PTI reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council will soon jointly announce the opening ceremony. It will be held at the Hazuri Bagh Fort built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played from February 19 to March 9.
England-Australia teams will reach Lahore on 18 or 19 February
England and Australia teams will reach Lahore on 18 or 19 February. The England team is currently playing T20 and ODI series with India. Australia, on the other hand, is on a tour of Sri Lanka. Where it has to play two Tests and two ODIs. The last match of the tour (second ODI) will be played in Colombo on 14 February. According to Cricbuzz, the organizers said that due to the different dates of arrival of the teams in Pakistan, the opening ceremony or the photoshoot of the captains is not possible.
The source said, the England and Australia teams have taken a break on the way to Lahore. Since both the teams will arrive either a day before or on the day of the opening match (February 19), all the captains will not be available before the tournament. In such a situation, there will be no opening ceremony, photoshoot of the captains or press conference.
England and Australia are in Group B. Their first match in the tournament will be played on 22 February in Lahore.
PCB will hold some pre-event ceremonies
According to the report, however, PCB will hold some pre-event ceremonies. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will re-open the Gaddafi Stadium on February 7. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari will open the PCB National Stadium Karachi on February 11. PCB will hold the opening ceremony on February 16 at the Hazuri Bagh Fort built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore. Top PCB officials will be present there anyway. Some ICC officials are also expected to be present.
