The schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has been released, and fans are already buzzing with excitement for this highly anticipated ten-team cricket extravaganza. The tournament will kick off on October 5th, with an electrifying match between England and New Zealand at the magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmbedabad. However, the clash that everyone is eagerly awaiting is the long-awaited showdown between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
After months of intense deliberation and a war of words between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Indian board has finally made the decision that the game will be held in Ahmedabad, and Pakistan will be making the journey to India to participate in the World Cup.
It is worth noting that the PCB will only be playing in five venues - Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata - while the other nine teams will compete across all ten venues throughout the tournament. A previous report had indicated that Pakistan was hesitant to play against Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai, and had requested a venue swap for these matches. It appears that their wishes have been granted in the final schedule.
There is a lot of discussion on social media regarding Pakistan's potential decision to withdraw from playing against India in Ahmedabad. According to an earlier report by PTI, a PCB source stated that the former president, Najam Sethi, had written to the ICC expressing Pakistan's preference to play matches exclusively in Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru. It was also mentioned that Pakistan did not wish to compete in Ahmedabad unless it was a knockout match. Evidently, Pakistan's requests have not been fulfilled on this occasion.
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"Sethi has conveyed to Barclay and Allardice that Pakistan doesn't want its matches to be scheduled in Ahmedabad unless it is a knock-out game like final," the PCB source was quoted saying to PTI.
"He requested ICC to schedule their games in Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata if national team gets clearance from the Pakistan government to travel to India for the global event scheduled in October and November," the source told the agency.
It is uncertain whether Pakistan still faces challenges regarding the scheduling of the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match. However, if they do encounter any issues and choose not to play the match in Ahmedabad, India would not be bothered by this decision. A similar situation occurred in 1996 when Australia and West Indies opted out of playing any matches in Sri Lanka during the edition co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Consequently, their opponents were granted a walkover, essentially awarding them the crucial points without even having to compete in the match. India would find themselves in a similar advantageous position, gaining the all-important points without stepping foot on the field.
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