The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it won’t be able to confirm its involvement in the World Cup until it gets permission from the government. This answer came after the World Cup schedule was made public in Mumbai on Tuesday. It looks like the PCB’s requests and worries were not taken into account in the World Cup schedule.
After the full World Cup schedule came out a few hours ago, a spokesman for the Pakistan board said in a statement, “The PCB needs clearance from the Government of Pakistan for any tour to India, including the match venues.”
“We are talking to our government to find out what to do, and as soon as we hear back from them, we will let the Event Authority (ICC) know. This position is the same as what we told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they gave us a draft plan and asked for our opinion,” the spokesman said. But nothing was said about what they thought of the end plan.
Insiders at the ICC and BCCI have said, however, that they are sure the Pakistan team will go to India.
One thing that PCB didn’t like was that the India-Pakistan game was going to be held in Ahmedabad. They had said that they would rather play in Chennai or Bengaluru. Also, they wanted the hosts, BCCI and ICC, to switch their games against Afghanistan and Australia, which are currently set to take place in Chennai and Bengaluru.
The ICC, on the other hand, said that it hasn’t heard anything from the PCB and reminded everyone that the PCB has signed the members’ involvement agreement. A representative of the world body said, “Pakistan has signed an agreement to compete, and we expect them to be there. We haven’t heard anything to the contrary.”
“All Members have to follow their country’s rules and laws, and we accept that. But we’re sure Pakistan will be in India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup,” the source said.
The BCCI and the PCB have been fighting over when international games, like the Asia Cup, will take place. The Asian boards, led by the BCCI, put pressure on the PCB to agree to a hybrid plan for the continental championship. Pakistan will play four games and Sri Lanka will play nine games, which is not a fair split.
Pakistan will start their quest on October 6, when they play Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad. The next match will be on October 12 against Qualifier 2. On October 15, the important match against India will take place in Ahmedabad. Pakistan’s other games are set for October 20 in Bengaluru against Australia, October 23 in Chennai against Afghanistan, October 27 in Chennai against South Africa, October 31 in Kolkata against Bangladesh, November 4 in Bengaluru against New Zealand, and November 12 in Kolkata against England.
The BCCI and ICC have made it clear that if Pakistan makes it to the semifinals, they will play in Kolkata, even if their opponent is India. India, on the other hand, has been given Mumbai as their semifinal spot if they make it to that point.
