Hyderabad: Rohit Sharma will not travel to Pakistan for the captain's photoshoot as the International Cricket Council and Pakistan Cricket Board have cancelled their planned opening ceremony of the highly anticipated Champions Trophy 2025, starting from Wednesday, February 19.
According to the Cricbuzz's report, "An opening ceremony was never announced either by the ICC or the PCB." The PCB did not comment on the matter but did not deny the fact that there won't be an official opening ceremony or captains' photo-op before the Champions Trophy, an ICC event they are hosting for the first time in close to 30 years.
There were speculations revolving in the media on whether Rohit Sharma would cross the Wagah to be present at the captain's photoshoot, the first time a current Indian cricketer would have stepped onto Pakistani soil since 2008. However, it will no longer be needed.
Notably, the organisers state that no photo shoot was held before the last Twenty20 World Cup, held in the West Indies and the US in June 2024. "Nor was there a combined press conference before the tournament started," it was pointed out. It may not be out of place to mention that all 10 captains were called for a press conference in Ahmedabad, before the start of the 2023 World Cup.
Revealing the reason behind cancelling the opening ceremony, the organisers explained that an official gathering of the captains wouldn't be possible because of the different dates of arrival of the teams in Pakistan.
England will take a 5-6-day break after the ODI series against India and are expected to reach Pakistan on February 18 while Australia will be reaching Pakistan on February 19, five days after finishing their two-Test series in Sri Lanka on February 14. England and Australia, both in the same group, are slated to play in Lahore on February 22.
"Because the two sides will arrive either a day before or on the day of the opening match (February 19) all captains will not be available in the lead-up to the tournament. As such, no captains' photo shoot or joint-press conference will be held," the source said, confirming that the India captain will not be officially required to be in Pakistan.
It has, however, emerged that the PCB will go ahead with a few pre-event ceremonies. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 7 while President Asif Ali Zardari will do the same at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 11. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will hold an opening ceremony at Lahore Fort on February 16. Key PCB officials will attend, and some officials from the International Cricket Council (ICC) are also expected to be present. The Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin on February 19 and will run until March 9, with all of India’s matches taking place in Dubai.
