India’s Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan took place at a neutral venue, a move that former England cricketer and commentator Jonathan Agnew has slammed as farcical.
Despite Pakistan being the official host, India is playing all its matches in the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This arrangement follows the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) refusal to play in Pakistan, even as the country welcomes back a major ICC event for the first time since the 2009 terrorist attack on Sri Lanka’s team in Lahore.
Under an agreement reached last year between the BCCI, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), India and Pakistan are not required to play in each other’s countries for any ICC tournaments through 2027. This includes the ongoing Champions Trophy, the Women’s Cricket World Cup later this year, and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Agnew criticized the special treatment India is receiving, particularly the fact that its matches, including a potential semifinal, are being staged in Dubai.
“I feel very uncomfortable about the way that India is being treated at the moment,” Agnew told ABC Sport. “This is wrong; if you’re going to play international tournaments, you can’t pick and choose where you play and where you’re not going to play. I don’t see how long this can carry on for? It makes a farce of these tournaments.”
Pakistan’s tournament schedule has been disrupted, starting with a 60-run loss to New Zealand in Karachi before traveling to Dubai to face India. The team will then return to Rawalpindi to take on Bangladesh. In contrast, India remains stationed in the UAE, having already defeated Bangladesh by six wickets. Meanwhile, Australia is playing its group-stage matches across Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi.
Agnew questioned the fairness of the arrangement, especially given Pakistan’s role as host.
“How can the home team, hosting its first international tournament for so long, be playing the biggest match of the tournament away from home?” he asked. “It’s not right. It just can’t carry on like this.”
Political tensions have long influenced cricketing ties between the two nations. While Pakistan toured India in 2012/13, India last visited Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2008. Even in the 2023 Asia Cup, which Pakistan hosted, India played its matches in Sri Lanka. The rivalry was further marred during the 2023 World Cup, when Pakistan lodged an official complaint with the ICC over crowd behavior in Ahmedabad during their game against India.
Agnew lamented the situation, stating that cricket is “denying itself one of its greatest showpieces, one of its greatest traditional contests, like the Ashes.”
“[Cricket’s] shooting itself in the foot because two of the main teams aren’t playing each other purely through politics. It’s a great shame,” he said.
Ahead of the match, former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq voiced frustration over India’s continued refusal to tour Pakistan.
“[The BCCI’s] tantrums just don’t end,” Mushtaq told Pakistan’s 24 Digital Channel. “Children here [in Pakistan] want to see Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Every child here wants to see them in action, but their tantrums just don’t end. I don’t know in which world they are living in and what they want to achieve.”
Ironically, the 2025 Champions Trophy marks the first ICC event hosted by Pakistan since the country co-hosted the 1996 World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka.
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