PCB, BCCI and ICC. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unanimously rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) request for a venue swap for a couple of matches in the forthcoming 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The 50-over World Cup will commence in October in India. According to reports, the ICC and BCCI held a meeting on Tuesday, June 20, and officially informed the PCB about the decision.
According to the tournament’s drafted schedule, Pakistan will face Afghanistan in Chennai’s spin-friendly pitch and Australia in Bengaluru. However, following the venue data review by the Pakistan analysts, PCB has expressed a willingness to swap the venues. The pitch in Chennai frequently favours spinners and Pakistan have requested the global governing body of cricket that their matches against Australia and Afghanistan be moved to Chennai and Bengaluru, respectively.
Meanwhile, the match between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be contested at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Former PCB chief, Najam Sethi, had expressed concerns regarding the same, but that request was also snubbed.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, both the ICC and BCCI have stated that there is no valid reason to change the venues. Notably, the venue selection is the responsibility of the hosts and they needed ICC’s permission to make any change. In addition, the venue change can be considered only if there are security issues.
The venue for India vs Pakistan game was shifted during ICC T20 World Cup in 2016
However, venue changes have occurred in the past times. Due to security concerns, the ICC T20 World Cup game between India and Pakistan in 2016 had to be rescheduled from Dharamsala to Kolkata.
The decision was apparently made by the ICC and BCCI during a meeting that was mostly focused on operational matters. The BCCI and ICC are yet to reveal the official schedule for the showpiece event. According to a previous report by Cricbuzz, the tournament opener between England and New Zealand would take place on October 5, in Ahmedabad.