The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly been asked not to take the ICC Champions Trophy tour to the disputed Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) region by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICC provided confirmation by announcing the schedule for the trophy tour, which will be on display across 8 nations.
Pakistan are the hosts of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy between February 19 and March 8 and the PCB had announced a trophy tour which included regions within the PoK, an area under dispute with India.
This comes amid uncertainties over the hosting of the tournament amid India's decision not to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns.
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ICC confirms Champions Trophy Tour schedule, excludes India-Pakistan disputed areas
The trophy will be displayed across all the Champions Trophy playing nations ahead of the February 50-over ICC tournament.
The ICC stated on their website that the tour will begin in Islamabad.
"The popular landmarks where the trophy will be displayed on the opening day of its tour in Islamabad are Daman-e-Koh, Faisal Mosque, and the Pakistan Monument where it will be accompanied by Pakistan cricket icon Shoaib Akhtar," ICC said.
The cricket body confirmed that the tour will continue to other places in Pakistan but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been refused permission to take the trophy to disputed areas in PoK after India's objection.
"After Islamabad, the tour will head to iconic cities and venues in Pakistan such as Karachi, Abbottabad, and Taxila before leaving the land of defending champions to embark on an extensive international tour," it added.
What are the key dates of the Champions Trophy 2025 tour?
| Date | Venue/Country |
|---|---|
| 16 November | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| 17 November | Taxila and Khanpur, Pakistan |
| 18 November | Abbottabad, Pakistan |
| 19 November | Murree, Pakistan |
| 20 November | Nathia Gali, Pakistan |
| 22-25 November | Karachi, Pakistan |
| 26-28 November | Afghanistan |
| 10-13 December | Bangladesh |
| 15-22 December | South Africa |
| 25 December to 5 January | Australia |
| 6-11 January | New Zealand |
| 12-14 January | England |
| 15-26 January | India |
| From 27 January | Pakistan |
BCCI's Jay Shah objects to the Champions Trophy tour in PoK
According to the Times of India, BCCI secretary, Jay Shah has raised the objection to the ICC on Pakistan taking the trophy to promote the tournament in the regions of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir after PCB had announced their plans on Twitter (X).
"Jay Shah has objected to that tweet [post] and has criticised and condemned PCB's plan to take the trophy to PoK cities. Additionally, PCB has no business in sharing the schedule because it has to come from the ICC. Things need to be done appropriately via appropriate channels," said the TOI sources.
PCB shared their tour plan on social media on Thursday, November 14 which included the cities like Mazaffarabad, Hunza and Skardu that come under a disputed territory of PoK.
The BCCI, in recent days, had also intimated ICC about the government's disapproval on traveling to Pakistan for the tournament, citing security concerns and the objectionable cross-border terrorism from Pakistan over the years.
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