Lahore (Pakistan), : Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that he still has positive expectations of hosting the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.

Earlier on Tuesday, the PCB wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council seeking reasons behind India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan to play the ICC Champions Trophy next year, Geo News reported.

India has expressed its stance against traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, citing ‘security concerns’.

Addressing a press conference at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Naqvi said the PCB was still waiting for a response from the ICC. He also asked that sports and politics should not be mixed.

“We have conveyed our questions to them (ICC). We are still waiting for their response. I believe that sports and politics are separate and no country should mix the two. Even now, I have positive expectations about the Champions Trophy.” Naqvi’s words, quoted by ESPNcricinfo, are as follows:

He added that all countries that have qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy, except India, are ready to visit Pakistan.

“Right now, all the teams that have qualified for the Champions Trophy are ready to come. Nobody has any problems. Today, too, I will say that if India has concerns, talk to us about them and we can address those concerns.” “I don’t think there’s any reason why they shouldn’t visit,” he added.

Earlier in the month, the ICC conveyed in writing to the PCB that India would not travel to Pakistan to participate in the Champions Trophy to be held in early 2025.

The PCB has consulted the Pakistani government on the issue and is trying to present its position. The Pakistan board wants India to travel to Pakistan like their team did during the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in 2023.

Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year, but the cup was held in a hybrid model with India playing its matches in Sri Lanka.

India and Pakistan played their last bilateral series in India in a white-ball series in 2012-13 and currently play mostly in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.