New Delhi, June 10: Arch rivals and neighbours India and Pakistan do not play each other in bilateral series any more. They face each other only in ICC multination tournaments like World Cups or Champions Trophy.
Pakistan lost to India in a nail biting contest in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in New York on Sunday. However, there are chances that the two nations may play each other in another ICC tournament in Lahore. But since India do not tour Pakistan due to political and security reasons, so that possibility seems bit difficult.
As per reports, India and Pakistan are scheduled to face off in next year's ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore as per the draft of the tournament. But India are yet to decide on travelling to Pakistan due to the strained relations between the two countries.
In last year's Asia Cup, the Indian government did not allow the team to travel to Pakistan and their matches in the tournament were played at a neutral venue in Sri Lanka.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the two neighbours will take on each other in March next year in the last league match of the eight-team competition. The tournament is likely to be played between February 19 to March 9. However, the final schedule is yet to be announced.
However, Pakistan travelled to India for the ODI World Cup, ending their 11-year-long hiatus.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has identified Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi as venues for the 20-day competition, with Lahore as the designated centre for the India games. As per the programme, there will be seven matches in Lahore, five in Rawalpindi and three in the port city of Karachi, the report added.
The opening match of the tournament is scheduled to be played in Karachi on February 19. Moreover, Karachi and Rawalpindi are set to host two semifinals.
According to the proposed plan, the final will be held on March 9 in Lahore, which will also host all India games and the semifinal if they qualify.
The report further said that neither the PCB nor the ICC is discussing a hybrid model, but there's a possibility of the situation changing at the last minute.
All attention is now focused on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Government of India. But considering recent political developments, it is too early to conclude if Team India would tour Pakistan and play their neighbours in Lahore. (With IANS support)
