"Build a stadium on the border; one gate should open in India, other in Pakistan" - Ahmed Shehzad reacts to hybrid model for ICC events
Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad had an interesting reaction to the news of ICC's hybrid model for upcoming tournaments. He suggested that India and Pakistan build a stadium on their border and play cricket there.
On the Nadir Ali podcast, Ahmed Shehzad was asked about his take on India not coming to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025. Shehzad reckons there's a need to build a stadium between the two countries so that they could play against each other. However, the Pakistan batter feels India's government would have problems with that as well.
"Build a stadium on the border. One gate should open in India, other in Pakistan. Their players can from there, our players can go from here. But again, I think BCCI or the Indian government will have an issue. They'll say that when your player comes to field on our side, we'll not give him visa for that," Shehzad sad. [25.02 onwards]
Shehzad also reminded that all cricket boards agreed with the ICC and signed a letter when the board allotted the 2025 Champions Trophy to Pakistan.
"Pakistan had a golden chance to host India. All cricket boards had signed the agreement in 2021 that Pakistan will host Champions Trophy. ICC cannot back off," Shehzad added.
"We should forget that the Indian team will ever come to Pakistan now" - Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad opined that the Pakistan Cricket Board missed out on a golden chance to host the Indian team on its soil. In Shehzad's view, the Men in Blue are unlikely to come to Pakistan again.
"PCB has missed the chance I think. We should forget that the Indian team will ever come to Pakistan now. Just forget it. The only way you could have brought India here was by an ICC event," Shehzad concluded.
It should be noted that Pakistan won't visit India for the Women's T20 World Cup 2025 and Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan will play their matches outside India during the two mega events.