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Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shahzad recently opened up the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 fiasco. Speaking on a YouTube channel, the Pakistan batter opined that the country had a chance to host India during the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) missed the opportunity by agreeing to host the tournament in a hybrid model.
Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finally recahed a breakthrough in the 2025 Champions Trophy with PCB agreeing to host the tournament in a hybrid model. Moreover, all ICC tournaments until 2027 will see India-Pakistan play matches at a neutral venue, including the knockout games if either India or Pakistan progress further into the competition.
Build a stadium on India-Pakistan border: Ahmed Shahzad’s bizarre suggestion
Following the final decision from the ICC, the cricketer added that Pakistan had one final chance to host India, but they missed the opportunity by moving the tournament in a hybrid model. Moreover, he also revealed the bizarre suggestion he had for hosting India matches in the upcoming marquee tournament. "Pakistan had a golden chance to host India. All cricket boards had signed the agreement in 2021 that Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy. ICC cannot back off. PCB has missed the chance I think. We should forget that the Indian team will ever come to Pakistan now. Just forget it. The only way you could have brought India here was by an ICC event," Shahzad told YouTuber Nadir Ali.
"I did a podcast where I suggested the idea of building a stadium by the border. One gate would be towards India, the other gate would be towards Pakistan. The players would come from the respective gates and play. But even then there would be issues for the BCCI and their government. When their players come to the field by our side, they would need visas which they would not get," he added.
It is to be noted that India last travelled to Pakistan to play the 2008 Asia Cup. The two nations haven't locked horns in a bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan came to India for a limited overs tour. India and Pakistan only face each other in ICC cricket tournaments and last locked horns in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA in June.
