Over 13,000 police personnel to be deployed for ICC Champions Trophy
Listen to article
Pakistan is set to host its first major International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament in nearly three decades, with over 13,000 police personnel deployed across the cities of Lahore and Rawalpindi for security.
The event, the ICC Champions Trophy, will be held from February 19 to March 9, and will take place in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
The deployment comes after years of security concerns in the wake of a 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, which led to international teams avoiding tours to Pakistan.
Following the attack, Pakistan's cricket scene struggled to host international teams, but the situation began to improve in 2019 with the return of the Sri Lankan Test team.
In the years since, foreign players have participated in Pakistan's domestic T20 leagues, marking a slow but steady return of international cricket.
This year's tournament will see Pakistan hosting eight teams, but India's matches will be held in the United Arab Emirates. India's refusal to send its team to Pakistan stems from its government's security concerns.
To ensure the safety of players, officials, and fans, over 13,000 police officers will be on duty during the matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
More than 8,000 officers will be assigned to security tasks in Lahore, while more than 5,000 will be stationed in Rawalpindi. Senior officers, district superintendents, inspectors, and women officers will all be part of the security force.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar stated that the police are conducting intelligence-based operations around the players' residences and along team routes to the stadiums.
The Safe Cities Authority will monitor the area through cameras, ensuring security at stadiums, hotels, and other venues. Police units will conduct regular patrols during the matches, and snipers will be positioned on tall buildings around stadiums to ensure additional protection.
Dr Anwar assured the public that the authorities are committed to providing a peaceful and secure environment for the tournament, urging fans to follow all security and safety protocols.
The tournament will be hosted across three venues: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. Both Lahore and Karachi stadiums have undergone extensive renovations to enhance the viewing experience for spectators and improve broadcast quality.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will mark Pakistan's return to hosting major international cricket tournaments since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka and India.
As the country prepares for this milestone event, authorities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety and smooth organisation of the ICC Champions Trophy, sending a message of resilience and commitment to the world of cricket.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
30 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistani players retain positions in latest ICC T20I rankings
Pakistan's bowlers have made notable strides in the latest ICC T20I rankings, propelled by strong performances in recent international matches. Fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi have both advanced in the rankings, now sharing the 18th position with 605 rating points. Shaheen Afridi, the left-arm pacer, has also risen, securing the 35th spot with 552 points. Pakistan's T20I vice-captain, Shadab Khan, moved up to 58th, alongside spinner Abrar Ahmed, who both earned 476 points. However, young bowlers Naseem Shah and Sufiyan Muqeem have seen a decline, falling to 92nd and 95th positions, with 407 and 406 points, respectively. No Pakistani bowler is currently in the top 10. New Zealand's Jacob Duffy tops the T20I bowling rankings, while England's Adil Rashid holds second place. India's Varun Chakaravarthy has dropped to third. In the T20I batting rankings, Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan remain in the 12th and 13th spots, respectively, while wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris holds firm at 30th. Babar is the top-ranked Pakistani batter in his position. Middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz has dropped to 46th, and Saim Ayub has fallen to 62nd. Pakistan's T20I captain (name omitted) has slipped two places to 76th, while Fakhar Zaman has fallen to 87th. Australia's Travis Head continues to dominate the batting rankings, with India's Abhishek Sharma in second. England's Phil Salt has slipped to fourth, as India's Tilak Varma rises to third.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Senegal become first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly
NOTTINGHAM: Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly. Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England's loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for a handball in the build-up, was their first defeat in four games under new manager Thomas Tuchel. 'Not good enough,' captain Harry Kane told ITV. 'We had moments, but with and without the ball things aren't clicking, we're not finding the right tempo. We've lost that aggressive nature that we had.' England – with 10 changes from Saturday's 1-0 lacklustre World Cup qualifying win over Andorra – took the lead when Kane struck in the seventh minute after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Anthony Gordon's shot but spilled the ball into the striker's path. The hosts conceded for the first time under Tuchel when Sarr caught Kyle Walker napping to poke in Nicolas Jackson's cross in the 40th minute. The visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd when Diarra latched onto a ball over the top then fired through goalkeeper Dean Henderson's legs. Sabaly struck deep into stoppage time, prompting boos from England fans after the final whistle. 'We're not going to panic but we know we need to be better,' Kane said. 'New ideas, there's new players coming into the team that don't have experience at international level. 'It's a mixture of things but no excuses. We need to find it quick, the World Cup is going to come around really fast so every camp is really important right now.' Senegal peppered Henderson with nine shots on target to England's four, including an early header from Sarr that the goalkeeper pushed wide of the post. Gordon squandered a glorious chance to give England a two-goal lead in the first half when he mis-hit Walker's cross from close range. Mendy made a great late save to deny England what would have been an equaliser from Bukayo Saka before Senegal added their third. Mauricio Pochettino problems mount as US routed 4-0 by Switzerland 'Disappointing result, not sure if maybe didn't deserve a little bit more result-wise,' Tuchel said. 'But felt again a bit frozen, not active enough for a long time of the match. 'We conceded the first two goals, very easy goals, that we needed to defend better. The reaction was good after we were down, suddenly more active, more free, more fluid, more aggressive towards the opponent's goals. We had then big chances to equalise.'
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Mauricio Pochettino problems mount as US routed 4-0 by Switzerland
LOS ANGELES: An experimental United States line-up crashed to a 4-0 friendly home defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday, deepening the gloom around Mauricio Pochettino's squad one year out from hosting the World Cup. A game intended as a morale-boosting send-off before the USA take part in the CONCACAF Gold Cup unraveled in a disastrous first half that saw Switzerland 4-0 up after 36 minutes in Nashville. Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi scored for Switzerland to leave a disgruntled home crowd at Geodis Park in Nashville raining boos down from the stands. The defeat was the fourth straight loss suffered by Pochettino's side, the first time the US has lost four in a row since 2007. Pochettino is planning for the USA's Gold Cup campaign, which kicks off on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago, without several key players who are unavailable. Brazil, Ecuador book World Cup berths, Uruguay on brink AC Milan star Christian Pulisic was excused duty from the tournament after requesting a rest while Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable due to the Italian side's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. Those absences left former Chelsea and Tottenham coach Pochettino having to dig deep to gauge the depth of his resources as the US builds towards next year's World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. On Tuesday's evidence, the return of his European-based stars cannot come soon enough after Switzerland ran riot in a lopsided first half. Pochettino said he bore responsibility for picking the inexperienced line-up that were outclassed by the rampant Swiss. 'First of all it's my responsibility the choice of the starting 11. I wanted to give minutes to certain players, but we were never in the game,' the Argentine said. US defender Walker Zimmerman attempted to put a brave face on the mauling, insisting there was still plenty of time for the side to improve before next year's World Cup. 'It's easy to look at one half and think this is all going to pieces, that we can't come back from a result like this,' Zimmerman told TNT television. 'But look at the build-up to 2022 – we took down Morocco 3-0 and they made the semi-final. Things change. That was six months apart. 'So it's not the end of the world. We accept that it's not good enough and we realize that. That's where the disappointment comes in, but we have to flip the script and we've gotta make sure we do not come out like that ever again.'
