The PCB, led by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, is determined to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in their country. However, the PCB has not yet made any clear statement regarding India’s participation.
The PCB has left the matter to the ICC and said that the board officials should refrain from making any comments in this regard. Former cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq also expressed his opinion on the matter and said that there is no need to create a ruckus over the Indian team’s tour to Pakistan.
Ex Cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq’s opinion on Indian team participation in CT 2025
Saqlain Mushtaq said in an interview to Cricket Pakistan, “It’s simple. If India wants to come, it can come. If they don’t want to come, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if the Indian team visits Pakistan for the tournament or not. It’s an ICC event, and they will look into the matter.” His statement has further complicated the debate over security issues.
Saqlain Mushtaq also expressed his opinion about Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam. After the disappointing performance in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, many are questioning Babar Azam’s captaincy.
Mushtaq said on this, “Many people are saying that he (Babar Azam) should leave the captaincy and play as a regular player. But all these voices are coming from outside, from those who are seeing and hearing things from outside. These are comments from outsiders. We should not listen to the voices of outsiders.”
He also reflected on the appointment of captaincy and said that there is a frequent change in the captains of the Pakistan cricket team due to lack of long-term vision. Mushtaq says that changes made without a long-term plan cannot provide stability to the team.
He said that if you want to make a leader, you have to work under a clear plan. Making frequent changes will only give you time to experiment, and in such a situation you cannot build a strong team.
He concluded, “If you follow this process, you will see which leader emerges. I don’t see any of that here. If we keep appointing third, fourth and fifth captains like this, we will never be able to build a top-class team, nor will we get global recognition.”
The uncertainty over Pakistan hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and India’s participation has become a big question mark for the cricket world. The ongoing debate on security and captaincy issues has made it clear that Pakistan needs to seriously consider the future direction of cricket.
