Pakistan cricket chief says women’s team will not travel to India for 2025 World Cup

Pakistani players celebrate their win at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier match against Thailand in the Qaddafi Stadium, in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 17, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 19 April 2025
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Pakistan cricket chief says women’s team will not travel to India for 2025 World Cup

  • Pakistan women’s team delivered stellar performance in the World Cup Qualifiers, winning all matches
  • Mohsin Naqvi says matches involving Pakistan should be held at a neutral venue during the tournament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket chief and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday the national women’s team would not travel to India for the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, reiterating Islamabad’s position that matches involving Pakistan should be held at a neutral venue under a hybrid model.
Naqvi’s remarks came shortly after Pakistan concluded their ICC World Cup Qualifier campaign unbeaten, sealing their spot in the tournament with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Lahore.
“It is up to India to decide where the matches will be held since they are the hosts,” he told reporters at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. “Our team is ready to play wherever, but it will not travel to India.”
The hybrid model was implemented earlier this year during the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan, allowing India to play their matches at neutral venues.
During the event, India played their matches in Dubai, citing security concerns, while other participating teams traveled to Pakistan.
The arrangement also drew criticism from several teams, who felt disadvantaged by India’s familiarity with the playing conditions in Dubai.
Pakistan women’s team have delivered a stellar performance in the World Cup Qualifiers, winning all five of their matches.
The 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held from September 29 to October 26. With Pakistan’s qualification, the ICC will need to determine a neutral venue for their matches, adhering to the agreed-upon hybrid model.


Gunmen kill 3 Revolutionary Guards in Iranian province bordering Pakistan

Updated 5 sec ago
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Gunmen kill 3 Revolutionary Guards in Iranian province bordering Pakistan

  • Iranian state media says attackers ambushed patrol in Sistan and Baluchistan province before fleeing
  • Border region with Pakistan and Afghanistan has long seen militant and smuggling-related violence

TEHRAN: Gunmen killed three members of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan near the Pakistan border, state media reported.

The Guard members were ambushed while patrolling near the city of Lar in a mountainous area about 1,125 kilometers (700 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.

IRNA did not report whether any Guard members were injured in the attack.

The Revolutionary Guard is pursing the attackers it calls “terrorists,” but they remain at large. No group has taken responsibility for the attack, IRNA reported.

The province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, one of the least developed in Iran, has been the site of occasional deadly clashes involving militant groups, armed drug smugglers and Iranian security forces.

In August, Iran’s security forces killed 13 militants in three separate operations in the province a week after the group killed five policemen who were on patrol.