Afghanistan cricket team in action© AFP
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has got a big boost in its bid to successfully host the ICC Champions Trophy early next year after Afghanistan has assured its participation in the tournament. Afghanistan Cricket Board president Mirwais Ashraf and CEO Naseeb Khan, who were in Colombo to attend the ICC Annual Board Meeting met with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and gave him the assurance. "They told the chairman that Afghanistan is looking forward to sending its team to Pakistan since they are participating in the Champions Trophy for the first time," a PCB said.
"They gave the assurance after speculations about some countries following India's path if the BCCI decides not to send its team to Pakistan for the event," he said.
The general perception in Pakistan is that because of its financial clout and influence, the BCCI can easily sway other boards of the region, including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to follow its path.
A former PCB chairman Khalid Mehmood recently in an interview claimed that if India didn't send its team to Pakistan, one can expect teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to tow the line and insisted on playing the competition at some other venue.
But during the meeting in Colombo, the ACB officials assured Naqvi of Afghanistan's participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will host in February and March.
The Champions Trophy is the first major ICC event scheduled in Pakistan, since jointly hosting the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.