Champions Trophy arrives in Kabul as part of world tour

The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy Cup arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday as part of the Global Trophy Tour and will go on display at various locations around the country over the next few days.

After arriving at Kabul airport on Tuesday morning, the trophy went on public display in Kabul city.

A special ceremony was held by members of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), who were joined by national cricket team players.

The ICC Champions Trophy event will see eight teams battle it out for the silverware.

Afghanistan is in Group B, along with England, Australia and South Africa.

The first round comprises two groups of four with the top two in each group progressing to the semi-finals and the winners contesting the final.

The event is short, sharp and highly competitive.

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has secured the rights to broadcast the event live and exclusively in Afghanistan.

ICC still to decide on venue

The tournament, expected to start in February 2025, is supposed to take place in Pakistan but due to India’s refusal to play in the country, the ICC is still to decide on a solution.

However, ESPNcricinfo reported late Tuesday that it had learned that the ICC Board would convene an emergency meeting next week to discuss the fate of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

According to their report, the single-point agenda for the meeting, which is likely to be held on November 26, is to reach a consensus on whether a hybrid model should be adopted for the tournament with matches being spread between Pakistan, the host country, and a second country, which is yet to be confirmed.

While several sources confirmed this, an ICC spokesman said there had been no official confirmation on this meeting.

Two weeks ago, India’s cricket board told the ICC that the government has denied the national team permission to travel to Pakistan.

This means that with under 100 days to go to the start of the event – as hosts, the PCB have penciled it in to run from February 19 to March 9 – there is still no official schedule from the ICC for the event.