"This will surely be a more successful event than the T20 World Cup" - Salman Butt on Pakitan hosting 2025 Champions Trophy
Salman Butt is confident of the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy being a massive success, given that it will be hosted in Pakistan, where the sport enjoys immense popularity. He opined that the tournament will be bigger than the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
The former Pakistan captain pointed out how there wasn't enough buzz among the locals in the USA for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Suggesting that things will be much different when an ICC even takes place on Pakistan soil, Butt said in his latest YouTube video:
"There's no comparison of this event to the United States of America or any other such country. This will surely be a more successful event than the T20 World Cup. The pitches weren't up to the mark over there, the stadiums were too far, and the hotels were somewhere else. No locals knew what was happening in their cities, just the overseas people staying there knew about cricket."
It is worth mentioning that the ICC reportedly suffered big monetary losses by conducting the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA. According to new news agency PTI (via NDTV), the apex council suffered losses of around $20 million (approximately ₹167 crore)
"Such a feel can never be there in USA" - Salman Butt on the craze for cricket in Asia
Explaining his point, Salman Butt highlighted that ICC events in Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are a guaranteed success because of the craze among the fans.
Butt noted that while teams have to travel a lot during the 2024 T20 World Cup, they will receive presidential security in Pakitan, drastically reducing their travel time, adding in the same video:
"When such a trophy comes to this part of the world, be it in India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, the love and respect that the players will receive will be totally different. Also, the teams won't have to travel for hours. Everything will be sealed and it will take just six minutes for the team to reach the stadium. This is presidential security, such a feel can never be there in USA."
The 2025 Champions Trophy will be the first big multi-nation tournament in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. Pakistan hosted the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup as well, but a hybrid model was introduced following India's reluctance to travel to their neighboring country. Pakistan hosted just four matches of the continental event and the remaining nine games were played in Sri Lanka.