ICC bound to ensure India's participation in Champions Trophy: Salman Butt

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has said that it was International Cricket Council’s (ICC) duty to ensure India’s participation in the Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy 2025.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former batter said that Pakistan should let the ICC deal with India if they refuse to travel to Pakistan for the tournament.

Salman Butt went on to assert that everyone will see ICC’s authority and neutrality on how they deal with India should they refuse to come to Pakistan.

“If they come, then they are welcome, if they don’t, the ICC has to deal with it. It will show how much authority they have as a regulator and how neutral they can be,” he said.

Reacting to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah’s statement that Indian team is eyeing to win the Champions Trophy 2025 and that senior players will play the tournament, he said that the statement has not cleared if Indian squad will travel to Pakistan for their games.

“We try sensationalising everything. There have been a few reports suggesting that Jay Shah has given a positive signal. However, I don’t think he’s given any signals. I wouldn’t have been excited even if there had been a signal from him because it is the ICC’s duty to ensure that all teams visit Pakistan,” Salman Butt added.

A day earlier, the BCCI secretary said that senior players will be part of the squad set to play in the Champions Trophy scheduled for next year.

“I would want India to win all the titles. We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises,” he added.

Several took it as a confirmation that India will participate in the Champions Trophy scheduled for next year.

However, the Indian government or BCCI has not released an official statement whether the Indian squad will play their games in Pakistan or at a neutral venue.