Champions Trophy tour begins after revised itinerary

KARACHI: The ICC Champions Trophy’s tour officially began in Islamabad on Saturday after the itinerary for the Pakistan leg was revised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following objections from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The revised schedule includes new stops such as Taxila, Khanpur, Abbottabad, Nathia Gali and Karachi, replacing the initially announced locations of Muzaffarabad, Hunza, and Skardu. According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the updated itinerary was finalized in mutual consultation with the ICC, so was the original plan. The tour commenced with the glittering trophy displayed in Islamabad. The trophy will remain in Pakistan until November 25 before moving on to Afghanistan. On Sunday, the trophy will be taken to Taxila and Khanpur, followed by Abbottabad on Monday. The ICC has confirmed that the trophy will return to Pakistan on January 27 as part of what it described in its press release as the “event start”.