Afghanistan confirms participation in 2025 Champions Trophy

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has received a significant endorsement in its endeavour to host the ICC Champions Trophy in the coming year. This support came from Afghanistan, which has pledged to take part in the tournament.

Mirwais Ashraf, the president of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and Naseeb Khan, the CEO, were present at the ICC Annual Board Meeting in Colombo. During their visit, they held discussions with Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, and provided him with the assurance of Afghanistan's participation.

"They told the chairman that Afghanistan is looking forward to sending its team to Pakistan since they are participating in the Champions Trophy for the first time," PTI quoted a PCB source as saying.

"They gave the assurance after speculations about some countries following India's path if the BCCI decides not to send its team to Pakistan for the event," he said.

The prevailing belief in Pakistan is that the BCCI, due to its financial power and sway, can effortlessly influence other cricket boards in the region, such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, to align with its stance.

Khalid Mehmood, a former PCB chairman, recently stated in an interview that if India didn't send its team to Pakistan, one can expect teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to tow the line and insisted on shifting the tournament to an alternative location.

However, during the meeting in Colombo, ACB officials provided assurances to Naqvi regarding Afghanistan's participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is set to take place in Pakistan during February and March.

The Champions Trophy marks the first significant ICC event to be held in Pakistan since the country co-hosted the 1996 World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka.