PCB confirms Champions Trophy opening ceremony date

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will host the Champions Trophy opening ceremony on February 16. There were a few ifs and buts before chairman Mohsin Naqvi approved the scheduled list of events that will take place in Lahore. Ahead of that, PCB officials along with chief guest Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will unveil the renovated Gaddafi Stadium on February 7.

PCB will also launch the renovated National Stadium in Karachi with a ceremony on February 11. President Asif Ali Zardari has been invited as the chief guest. These two events will be followed by the opening ceremony on the 16th, which is likely to be hosted at Huzoori Bagh, a historic monument in Lahore. As per reports, PCB has planned a gala event and officials of different boards, celebrities, legends of the game, and government officials are expected to attend the event.

In the meantime, the PCB officials are in constant touch with the International Cricket Council (ICC)



regarding the official photoshoot and the captain’s press conference. Ahead of every ICC event, the captains of each team participate in these two events but currently, there's a dilemma on the future of these two events.

As per reports, the England cricket team will reach Lahore on February 19 while Australia will arrive on February 20. In such a case, these two nations will not be attending the opening ceremony. Doubts remain over India captain Rohit Sharma’s attendance as well. The Men in Blue refused to play the tournament in Pakistan, citing safety concerns and it is very likely that the 37-year-old will skip the gala opening ceremony that Pakistan have planned.

The tournament meanwhile will begin on February 19, with Pakistan hosting New Zealand in the opening game. India will be playing all their matches in Dubai, including the semi-final and final if they manage to progress. Notably, the final will take place on March 9.