Pakistan crushed India in the final to win the 2017 Champions Trophy. AP Photo
Pakistan crushed India in the final to win the 2017 Champions Trophy. AP Photo
Pakistan crushed India in the final to win the 2017 Champions Trophy. AP Photo
Pakistan crushed India in the final to win the 2017 Champions Trophy. AP Photo

Pakistan to face India in Dubai as 2025 Champions Trophy fixtures unveiled by ICC


  • English
  • Arabic

Pakistan will meet arch-rivals India in Dubai in the standout group game of the 2025 Champions Trophy on February 23 after the ICC announced the schedule for the cricket showpiece event on Tuesday.

India refused to travel to Pakistan, which is hosting the tournament, over strained political relations and security concerns, which forced the ICC to delay its announcement for more than a month.

Pakistan will stage a minimum of 10 games in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore, while India will play their three Group A matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in Dubai.

If India qualify for the semi-finals and the final, those games will also be staged in Dubai.

“The ICC is delighted to release the schedule … marking the tournament’s much-anticipated first return since 2017,” ICC chair Jay Shah said in a statement. “The thrilling competition, in which eight teams battle it out to claim the iconic white jackets, will provide fans with 15 matches of unmissable entertainment.

“This edition will take place in Pakistan and the UAE, and with Dubai also serving as the home of the ICC headquarters, it represents an opportunity to showcase the best of cricket with heritage and modernity.”

Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan said: “Our country is known for its great hospitality and I am sure the fans will not only support our team, but also appreciate the performances of other teams”

Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa will play all their Group B games in Pakistan.

Defending champion Pakistan are hosting their first global cricket event since 1996.

After long deliberations between the ICC Board members, the game’s governing body has also agreed that Pakistan will not play in India in the 2024-27 cycle.

It is a tit-for-tat response to India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

That means Pakistan will go to a neutral venue when India host the 2025 Women’s World Cup and co-host the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka.

As compensation for not hosting India at the Champions Trophy, the ICC awarded the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup to Pakistan.

“We are pleased that an agreement has been reached based on the principles of equality and respect, showcasing the spirit of co-operation and collaboration that defines our sport,” Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said.

“Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the ICC members who played a constructive role in helping us achieve a mutually beneficial solution. Their efforts have been invaluable in promoting the interests of international cricket.”

Naqvi said that hosting the Champions Trophy “is a significant milestone for Pakistan, highlighting our commitment to promoting cricket at the highest level and showcasing our capabilities as a premier event organiser. We are dedicated to ensuring that this tournament will be a memorable experience for players, officials and fans alike.”

The tournament begins in Karachi on February 19 when Pakistan take on New Zealand.

Political tensions between Pakistan and India have prevented their teams from touring each other’s country since 2012, when Pakistan went to India for a bilateral one-day international series.

Both teams face each other regularly in ICC tournaments – Pakistan went to India last year for the Men’s World Cup. But before that event, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and played all its games in Sri Lanka.

The PCB has spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi and hopes the work will be completed by mid-January.

Champions Trophy 2025 teams

Group A: Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh

Group B: South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan, England

Champions Trophy fixtures

Feb 19: Pakistan v New Zealand, National Stadium, Karachi

Feb 20: Bangladesh v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Feb 21: Afghanistan v South Africa, National Stadium, Karachi

Feb 22: Australia v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Feb 23: Pakistan v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Feb 24: Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Feb 25: Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Feb 26: Afghanistan v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Feb 27: Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Feb 28: Afghanistan v Australia, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Mar 1: South Africa v England, National Stadium, Karachi

Mar 2: New Zealand v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Mar 4: Semi-final 1: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai*

Mar 5: Semi-final 2: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore**

Mar 9: Final: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore***

*Semi-final 1 will involve India if they qualify

**Semi-final 2 will involve Pakistan if they qualify

*** If India qualify for the final it will be played in Dubai.

The biog

Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby

Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer

Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.

Bawaal%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nitesh%20Tiwari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Varun%20Dhawan%2C%20Janhvi%20Kapoor%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Updated: December 24, 2024, 6:45 PM`