A three-decade wait finally ends for Pakistan on Wednesday when it stages its first major International Cricket Council tournament since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka and India. A 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lanka playing squad at Lahore resulted in international teams avoiding tours to Pakistan for almost a decade because of security concerns.

Pakistan is ready to host the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, with eight teams coming together for a major cricketing event in the country for the first time in three decades. Pakistan last hosted a men’s Cricket World Cup in 1996 under the International Cricket Council.

While nations, including Australia, have again begun touring Pakistan after skipping the country for nearly two decades, the Champions Trophy is the first ICC tournament in Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup.

Pakistan’s 29-year wait to host a major International Cricket Council tournament ended Wednesday when it won the toss and elected to field in the Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand in Karachi