For probably the first time in the history of the ODI World Cup history, the schedule of the tournament is yet to be announced four months prior. Apparently, the standoff between India and Pakistan Cricket Boards over Asia Cup 2023. A while back, PCB offered a neutral venue, i.e. UAE for India. However, not just India but Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have rejected the model.
On the other hand, the Pakistani board had threatened to boycott the World Cup if only India was the only board to reject the hybrid model. Now, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will boycott the World Cup. After all, there is a lot of money in the showpiece event for each team. At a time when there is uncertainty, an Indian Cricket Board official has said that the schedule will be announced in the next 48 hours.
At this point, India and Australia are playing the World Test Championship final at The Oval. This might be a reason why the schedule is not released as well with India hosting the tournament.
“We are meeting with Apex Council officials tomorrow to discuss the fine prints of the schedule. Once that’s done, we will have it for you. By Monday, we should have the final schedule,” a senior Indian Cricket Board official told InsideSport.
The India-Pakistan game to be shifted to Chennai – Reports
Meanwhile, the marquee game of the tournament, India vs Pakistan was slated in Ahmedabad. However, PCB chairperson, Najam Sethi expressed his concerns over the venue. He said that due to political reasons, they won’t be able to play that game in the capital city of Gujarat. Just like the other games, this one has been shifted to Chennai.
“Sethi has conveyed to Barclay and Allardice that Pakistan doesn’t want its matches in Ahmedabad unless it is a knock-out game like final. He requested the Apex Council to schedule their games in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata if the national team gets clearance from the Pakistan government,” the source further added.
