IND vs PAK: Pakistan still unsure of it’s participation in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India: In the turn of events, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has conveyed to its International Cricket Council (ICC) counterparts that they are in no position to unilaterally approve or disapprove Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
The development came after ICC released the draft schedule of all the teams which needs the approval of all participating nations in the World Cup 2023. The draft schedule had IND vs PAK fixture fixed on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
PCB chief Najam Sethi has written to the ICC that they will require their government’s approval for this draft schedule for the impending event in India.
“We have written to the ICC that we can’t give approval or disapproval to this (World Cup schedule),” Sethi said. “It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play.”
Sethi further revealed that the Pakistan government will decide whether they would play the IND vs PAK fixture in Ahmedabad or somewhere else.
“There is no point asking us if we will play in Ahmedabad. When the time comes, first it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go. Our decision will rest on these two important conditions,” he said.
As per the reports, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is likely to begin on October 5, and the most anticipated IND vs PAK fixture will be held 10 days after the commencement of the tournament.
Notably, there has been a long delay in announcing the schedule of the 2023 World Cup. Though the official reason for this unprecedented delay is unknown, the experts believe the tussle between IND and PAK to be the key cause.
The ICC top brass was recently in Pakistan to confirm the country’s stance and seek approval for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. However, the reports suggest that the PCB chair has asked for some more time to get their government’s approval.
Earlier, PCB had refrained to play World Cup 2023 matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and asked for venue changes. They had expressed the same to the ICC and said unless it’s a knockout fixture, they don’t want to play in Ahmedabad.
With the clock ticking at its usual rate, at some point, the ICC will have to announce the schedule of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which the sources say, will be on June 27th.
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.
