"Unnecessary Negativity": Wasim Akram Gives Defining Verdict On India Visiting Pakistan For Champions Trophy 2025

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is hopeful of India's arrival in Pakistan for next year's ICC Champions Trophy and sees it as a great thing for cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has neither denied nor confirmed yet that the Indian team will travel to Pakistan for the tournament. The BCCI has repeatedly said they will follow the directions of the Central government. "I think whatever I'm reading there are positive vibes from (the) Indian government and (the) BCCI.

"I also read somewhere they will play probably all their games in Lahore. They will probably come to Lahore and travel (back) the same night. I'm all for it, as long as India is comfortable," ESPNcricinfo quoted Akram as saying.

"And I can promise you, they (are) going to get looked after amazingly well. I mean, Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, (Hardik) Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, they have fans in Pakistan. The young cricket fans adore them," he added.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is determined to host the entire 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9. It has proposed holding all of India's matches in Lahore, a city near the Indian border, to simplify logistics and security arrangements. Additionally, the PCB plans to issue around 17,000 visas for Indian fans wishing to support their team. The final is set to take place in Lahore, along with any semi-final involving India, should they qualify.

The legendary pacer claimed that India's visit to Pakistan will be a huge thing in the world of cricket not only for Pakistan.

"People-to-people contact is very important in this day and ago. In this social media age, there's so much negativity all over the world, unnecessary negativity, in my opinion,