The International Cricket Council (ICC) is all set to announce the schedule of the ODI World Cup 2023 on June 27, at an event in Mumbai. While there has been an unprecedented delay in the announcement of the schedule, doubts over Pakistan’s participation and their request of venue swaps for a couple of matches have been the main cause of the delay.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had requested the ICC and the BCCI to swap the venues for the matches against Afghanistan and Australia, to be played in Chennai and Bengaluru. However, the request has been dismissed by the ICC, as venue changes can only be made if there are security concerns. Also, sources have told RevSportz that the ICC is all set to go ahead with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as the venue for the much-awaited India-Pakistan match, while further adding that there had been no written request whatsoever from the PCB to move the match to another venue.
The PCB has mentioned that it is up to their government to decide the future course of action for the Pakistan cricket team in relation to the World Cup. After the announcement, the ICC and BCCI will push the ball back into the PCB’s court, and it remains to be seen whether the Pakistan government will create any further issues.
With the tournament just three months away, Pakistan’s government has yet to confirm if they would allow the cricket team to travel to India. “We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers, and we will offer our views to PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) in due course,” said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, according to a Reuters report on Saturday.
The ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place from October 5 to November 19, and will feature ten teams from around the world. India, Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa have already qualified directly through the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. The remaining two spots will be decided through the ongoing World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe.