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With the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 less than a month away from start, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have decided to host the opening ceremony in Lahore on February 16. According to reports citing sources, revealed that while the opening ceremony will go as per planned, the captains photo-op has been cancelled.
It is understood that there was no formal announcement made earlier about the opening ceremony and the captains photoshoot by either ICC or the PCB, but as of writing, sources close to the development in Pakistan have revealed that the opening ceremony will take place on February 16 at Lahore’s Huzoor Bagh.
No captains photoshoot and press conference ahead of CT 2025: Reports
A source from the host country’s cricket board informed PTI that there will be no captains’ photoshoot or press conference in Pakistan before the marquee tournament, set to get underway from February 19. The PCB official further added that the cricket board was forced to cancel the pre-tournament captains’ gathering due to “unavailability of teams due to tight travelling schedules.”
"The thing is all teams have tight schedules before the tournament. England and India are playing a white-ball series while Australia is playing a Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka," the source said, as quoted by India Today. He also informed that the PCB will organise an opening ceremony in Lahore, instead of an official ceremony.
"On 16th Feb we will have the inauguration ceremony," the source said. "We have also decided in conjunction with the ICC that there will be no official collective press conference of all captains as not all will be available before the tournament nor any official photo shoot at one place," he further added.
Additionally, the source confirmed that PCB Chairman has approved of a scheduled list of events prior to the tournament opener at the National Stadium in Karachi. As per the details revealed, PCB will officially open the renovated Gaddafi Stadium on February 7, followed by launching the revamped National Stadium in Karachi.