Ahmad Shahzad, the out-of-favor Pakistan cricketer, has called for the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take a strong stance against India after their refusal to come to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is getting ready to contest the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to deny India the opportunity to play in Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The Dawn newspaper claims that in order to comprehend the reasoning behind the BCCI's position, the PCB will reportedly ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to give an explanation.
Meanwhile, ICC is mulling hosting the tournament in a hybrid model with India playing its games in Dubai. Or ICC might take the entire tournament out of Pakistan, to which, the PCB has reportedly been asked by the Pakistan government to boycott the tournament.
Pakistan cricketer Ahmad Shahzad openly criticized India's stance on the upcoming tournament, voicing frustration over what he sees as India's 'false promises.'
He noted that although Pakistan gives India credit when they play well on the field, there seem to be other reasons why they are reluctant to play in Pakistan besides cricket-related ones.
"Pakistan now needs to step forward and clarify its stance. We've known for a long time that India is making false promises. Whenever they play well, we praise them because they deserve it. But when it comes to this issue (coming to Pakistan), India has been lying for a long time. Even before, whenever Pakistan would try to do something like this (hosting a mega event), India would try to financially damage it," said Ahmad Shahzad on the Pakistani channel Geo News.
"And this time, they've crossed the line. Pakistan needs to take a strong stance. If India doesn't want to come, let them stay away—enough is enough!" added a frustrated Shahzad.
It remains to be seen what solution the ICC will come out with to salvage the Champions Trophy 2025 tournament. The tournament is set to be played from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan, with Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi being the venues.
