Pakistan picks Dubai as ICC Champions Trophy neutral venue for India games
Al Jazeera
The venue change follows weeks of wrangling after India refused to visit tournament hosts Pakistan for their matches.
India will play their Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates next year after hosts Pakistan selected the Gulf country as a neutral venue for their rivals, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said.
Due to soured political relations, the Indian team has not visited Pakistan since 2008 and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided not to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing government advice.
The two countries play each other only at multi-team tournaments, with Pakistan visiting India for the 50-over ICC World Cup last year.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has chosen the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said via email on Sunday.
The eight-team Champions Trophy will be held in February and March next year.
