(Web Desk) – Legendary cricketer Wasim Akram has urged India to visit Pakistan to participate in ICC Champions Trophy next year.
He said that Indian cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav have a lot of fans in Pakistan, who are eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The former bowler said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had made several offers to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure their team's smooth visit to this side of the border to participate in the tournament.
He advised Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah to focus on the game and leave social media aside, while also urging Babar Azam to focus on cricket.
Read Also: Rizwan sets Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup as targets
The Champions Trophy would be played from Feb 19, 2025 to March 9, 2025. Pakistan, India, Australia, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Afghanistan will be participating in the tournament.
Earlier this week, the newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan said that winning ICC Champions trophy 2025 and Men’s T20 World Cup in India & Sri Lanka are his goals as captain of the Pakistan white-ball captain.
In his first interview as captain with PCB Digital on Monday, he said the team has been losing in the semi-finals and final of the major ICC tournaments, adding, the team needed to make preparations keeping Champions trophy and T20 World Cup in mind.
About his other goals as captain, Rizwan said nurturing a future captain and a back-up wicket-keeper were his other targets as captain, adding that he would like to lead by example. “I will leave behind a legacy in which Pakistan cricket will have a group of good players after him,” he responded.
Rizwan further said that a good captain’s trait is to keep the team united, adding that the unity in the team was not due to one individual.