“I think that whatever I read, there are positive vibes coming from [the] The Indian government and [the] BCCI,” Akram said. “I also read somewhere that they will probably play all their matches in Lahore. They will probably come to Lahore and travel [back] the same night. I’m all for it, as long as India feels comfortable.
“And I can promise you, they [are] is going to be surprisingly well cared for. I mean, Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, [Hardik] Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, they have fans in Pakistan. Young cricket fans love them.”
Speaking ahead of Pakistan’s six-match ODI and T20I tour of Australia which begins on Monday, Akram hoped that India would come to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
“Contacts between people are very important in our times,” he said. “In the age of social media, there is so much negativity all over the world, unnecessary negativity in my opinion, and I think if India comes it will be great for cricket, and of course it will be also great for Pakistan.”
India have not played an international match in Pakistan since 2008, and the United Arab Emirates would be the most likely alternative venue – but not the only one – if part of the Champions Trophy had to be moved. The BCCI did not send a team to Pakistan last year for the Asia Cup, leading to the tournament moving to a hybrid model, with the latter stages taking place in Sri Lanka.
But Pakistan traveled to India straight after for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they missed out on a semi-final berth.
The Champions Trophy will bring together eight teams, divided into two groups of four, followed by semi-finals and a final. The competing teams are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
