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In the first major decision under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finally put an end to the Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights issue, deciding that the upcoming event will be played in Pakistan along with another neutral venue.
Also, the hybrid model has been decided for all ICC events in the 2024-27 cycle which will be held in India or Pakistan. "The ICC Board has today approved that matches between India and Pakistan played at ICC Events during the current rights cycle from 2024 to 2027 (which are to be hosted in India or Pakistan) will be played at a neutral venue proposed by the tournament host. This will apply to the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 (Pakistan), ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 (India) and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 (India and Sri Lanka)," a statement said. In addition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia has also been awarded hosting rights for one of the senior ICC women's events during the period 2029 to 2031. The match schedule for the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 will be confirmed in the coming days. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women's events during the period 2029 to 2031. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017, beating India in the final. The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan. Due to strained political relations between the two nations, India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, when they participated in the Asia Cup. The two arch-rivals last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 in India, comprising white-ball matches. After that, India and Pakistan have primarily faced each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups. Shah, a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, started his tenure as ICC chief on December 1. He brings extensive experience in cricket administration, having started his journey in 2009 with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA). During his tenure, he oversaw the development of the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. (ANI)
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