ICC alerts PCB about India's decision not to visit Pakistan for Champions Trophy; hosts seek guidance from Pakistan government.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the Champions Trophy has taken a new turn. It has been officially announced that India will not be participating in the ICC tournament scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2025. A spokesperson for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed to Hindustan Times that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed them about India's decision not to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. The tournament is set to take place from February 19 to March 9 next year.

The PCB spokesperson also confirmed that the PCB has forwarded the ICC's official mail to the government, and upon their advice, a final call would be taken.

"The PCB has received an email from the ICC, stating that the BCCI has informed them that their team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB has forwarded that email to the Government of Pakistan for their advice and guidance," a PCB spokesperson told Hindustan Times.

Another source, who is privy to developments regarding the Champions Trophy, confirmed that the schedule for the tournament is not ready to be revealed yet as the discussions with the host nation and participating nations, continue to go on.

"The schedule is not confirmed, we are still in discussions with the Host and participating nations on the Champions Trophy schedule, once confirmed we will announce through our normal channels," said the source.

Earlier, it was confirmed that the BCCI decided to not send its team for the Champions Trophy, after taking advice from the Government of India. The security concerns was the biggest issue behind BCCI not sending its team to Pakistan.

The Champions Trophy is currently scheduled to be hosted by Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi in 2025. The top eight teams in the world are expected to participate.

Earlier, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif had said that if India don't visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, then the hosts will pull out of the tournament.

“We can say that India does not want to play bilateral matches, but you can’t deny the ICC events as you already have signed it. India has to make solid ground. If India doesn’t come this time, Pakistan will take a big step by not participating in the tournament,” he told Geo News.

Last year's Asia Cup was also slated to be played in Pakistan. However, the tournament eventually went ahead in a hybrid model, and India's matches were held in Sri Lanka.

India last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup.