Pakistan won't travel to India for 2025 Women's World Cup, PCB asks for their matches to be played at 'neutral venue'
The 2025 Women's World Cup will be played in India from September 29 to October 26.
Pakistan will not travel to India for the Women's ODI World Cup later this year, the country's cricket board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said. Pakistan had qualified for the tournament in rather dramatic circumstances, beating West Indies to the qualification spot on a dramatic last day of the qualifier in Lahore.
Naqvi's statement indicated that the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision could be in retaliation to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not sending a team to the country for the men's Champions Trophy earlier this year. "Just like India didn't play in Pakistan in the Champions Trophy and were allowed to play at a neutral venue, whatever venue is decided, we will play. When there is an agreement, it has to be adhered to," he said, according to PTI.
The Women's World Cup will be played from September 29 to October 26. The Champions Trophy was earlier held from February 19 to March 9. According to the hybrid model, both India and Pakistan will play their matches at neutral venues if one of the two countries was to host an ICC event till 2027.
India eventually played all their matches in the UAE, which was a matter of some controversy as they ended up being the only team playing all their matches at one venue while the rest of the sides shuttled between the venues they were assigned in Pakistan and the UAE whenever they played India. At one point, both South Africa and Australia had to travel to Dubai just before the semi-finals, with the former returning to Pakistan without playing a game there when it was decided that the latter would be facing India in the semi-finals.
