There is still no development regarding confirmation of the venue for next year's Champions Trophy after the Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI) informed the International cricket Council (ICC) that the Men in Blue would not be traveling to Pakistan will travel. The ICC then asked the Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) whether it would be interested in hosting the tournament in a hybrid model, where India's matches would be played at a neutral venue such as the United Arab Emirates. However, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi is determined to host the entire event in Pakistan and is not ready to compromise.
As things have come to a standstill in the major event, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has expressed an interesting take on the issue. According to the cricketer-turned-expert, the legendary one cricket-tips/?ref=hm” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Virat Kohli is ready to play in Pakistan.
“There will be back-channel discussions. Even in war days, there are back-channel conversations. We shouldn't lose hope. We have to look towards a solution. We know that 95-96 percent of sponsorship for ICC comes from overseas India,” Shoaib Akhtar said in an interview quoted by NDTV Sports.
“It’s really up to governments. It has nothing to do with the BCCI. Virat Kohli is trying to play in Pakistan for the first time. Pakistan wants Virat to play in Pakistan. Imagine him scoring a century goal in Pakistan. It will come full circle for him in not being able to host major tournaments like the World Cup. I don't think this will be a stepping stone. Waiting “Till the last moment I think India will come to Pakistan from now on,” he further added.
Pakistan are the defending champions and won the last edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017 after Sarfaraz Ahmed and Co. defeated Kohli-led India by 180 runs in the final at the Kennington Oval in London.
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