The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for successfully hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 and to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for the staging of five matches.
Despite being the host state, Pakistan was considerably absent from the prize distribution ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy, raising issues over the traditional protocol of such events.
According to sources, event director Sumair Ahmed Syed was present at the stadium; however, he was not invited to participate in the ceremony. The selection of dignitaries for the prize distribution is solely managed via ICC, and no representative from PCB or the host country was included in the proceedings.
Amid the controversy, the ICC has issued a note of thanks to Pakistan for successfully hosting the Champions Trophy 2025. It was the first ICC tournament in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup and the PCB spent billions of Pakistani rupees to upgrade the stadiums at Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
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“We would like to thank and congratulate the Pakistan Cricket Board for successfully hosting the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025,” ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said.
Traditionally, ICC occasions have seen a representative from the host nation take part in the prize-giving ceremony. The omission of a Pakistani official from the Champions Trophy ceremony has led to hypotheses and disappointment within the local cricketing community.
The ICC was informed earlier that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi could not be attending the final and that Sameer Ahmed Syed could represent Pakistan. Despite this, ICC made the decision on stage invites without including PCB’s representative.
Traditionally, host nations have continually been represented on stage during ICC events; however, this tradition was abruptly broken in Dubai. The move has not only angered PCB officials but also sparked frustration among cricket fans over ICC’s handling of the problem.
As this was the first global multi-team cricket event played in the country since 1996, this event was of huge significance for the PCB, and all those involved in renovating the stadiums, preparing the playing surfaces, delivering the matches and hosting the teams and visitors should be very proud of their efforts.
10 out of 15 matches in the tournament were played in Pakistan.