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The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025 will be Pakistan‘s first big multi-nation tournament since the Asia Cup 2008. Pakistan also hosted the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup, but a hybrid model was introduced following India‘s reluctance to travel to their neighbouring country. Pakistan hosted just four matches of the continental event, and the remaining nine games were played in Sri Lanka.
Salman Butt outlines why Champions Trophy 2025 will be more successful
Now Pakistan’s former captain Salman Butt expressed a strong belief in the potential success of the upcoming Champions Trophy. He anticipated the tournament surpassing the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
In a recent YouTube video, the former Pakistan captain highlighted a noticeable lack of local enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the T20 World Cup hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States. According to Butt, this tepid response from the American audience contrasted starkly with the passionate support and enthusiasm he expects to see when an ICC event is held in Pakistan. He emphasized that Pakistanis’ deep-seated love for cricket ensures that any international tournament held on Pakistani soil is met with tremendous enthusiasm and engagement from local fans.
“There is no comparison of this event to the United States of America or any other such country. This will surely be a more successful event than the T20 World Cup. The pitches were not up to the mark over there, the stadiums were too far, and the hotels were somewhere else. No locals knew what was happening in their cities, just the overseas people staying there knew about cricket.” Butt said.
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Butt’s perspective on craze of cricket in Asia
Butt further emphasized the craze of cricket fans that exist in the sub-continent region like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan which is unbeatable currently in any other part of the world.
“When such a Trophy comes to this part of the world, be it in India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh the love and respect that the players will receive will be totally different. Also, the teams will not have to travel for hours. Everything will be sealed and it will take just six minutes for the team to reach the stadium. The presidential security, such a feel can never be in USA,” Butt concluded.
