The captains' conference has been cancelled, as two participating teams will arrive in Pakistan later than expected
The captains' conference for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been cancelled, as two participating teams will arrive in Pakistan later than expected. As a result, the usual pre-tournament events, including the press conference with all eight captains and the official photoshoot, will not take place.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will not be attending the event in Karachi, putting to rest previous speculation by Indian media.
The decision to cancel the captains' event comes after the delayed arrival of several teams. According to sources within the International Cricket Council (ICC), England and Australia will be arriving later than planned. England will land in Lahore on February 18, while Australia’s team is set to arrive in Pakistan on February 19.
Bangladesh and India are scheduled to arrive in Dubai on February 15, and Afghanistan will reach Islamabad on February 12. Meanwhile, New Zealand and South Africa will already be in Pakistan, following a tri-nation ODI series in Lahore and Karachi from February 8 to 14.
The late arrivals of England and Australia are primarily due to their ongoing series. England's team has opted for a one-week break after their extensive India tour, which finishes on February 12. Australia, following their Sri Lanka tour, will take a four-day rest period before traveling to Pakistan. Due to this tight schedule, both teams have decided to skip the warm-up matches, which had originally been allocated to them.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will feature eight teams competing across 15 matches from February 19 to March 9, with matches held in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Dubai.
The teams are divided into two groups:
Group A: Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh
Group B: Afghanistan, South Africa, England, Australia
Hosts Pakistan will kick off the tournament against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi. The highly anticipated match between Pakistan and India is set for February 23 in Dubai.