No captains' photoshoot in Pakistan before Champions Trophy

KARACHI: There will be no captains' photoshoot or conference in Pakistan before the ICC Champions Trophy, a source in the host cricket board told PTI on Thursday, ending the possibility of India skipper travelling to the country for any pre-tournament engagements.

The Pakistan Cricket Board source said the PCB was forced to cancel the pre-tournament captains' gathering because of "unavailability of teams due to tight travelling schedules."

"The thing is all teams have tight schedules before the tournament. England and India are playing a white-ball series while Australia is playing a Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka," the source said.

He also said the PCB will organise an inauguration event for the tournament on February 16 in Lahore instead of an official opening ceremony.

As per tradition, captains of all participating teams gather for a pre-tournament photo-op before the start of an ICC event.

The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy, which is set to be played from February 19 to March 9, will be held across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai.

India will, however, not travel to Pakistan for security reasons and will instead play all their matches in Dubai.

If they qualify for the final, the title clash will also be played in Dubai.

The inauguration ceremony would be held at the Huzoor Bagh in Lahore.

The source though confirmed that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had approved a scheduled list of events prior to the first match of the mega event at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The PCB will officially open the renovated Gaddafi stadium on February 7 in which Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been invited as the chief guest.

On Feb 11, the PCB will launch the renovated National Stadium in Karachi with a ceremony in which President Asif Ali Zardari has been invited as the chief guest.

"On 16th Feb we will have the inauguration ceremony," the source said.

He said England will reach Lahore on February 18 while Australia are reaching on February 19.

"We have also decided in conjunction with the ICC that there will be no official collective press conference of all captains as not all will be available before the tournament nor any official photo shoot at one place."