Even as the schedule for the World Cup 2023 is officially out, Pakistan are yet to confirm their participation in the tournament in India.
The PCB will require permission from their government to send their team to India for the World Cup. The one obstacle in this is that the current government could be removed in the coming months, and a new regime could be installed ahead of the World Cup 2023, which will further require a process.
Nonetheless, the Pakistan sports minister Ehsaan Mazari has reportedly said that they will not send their team to India for the mega-ICC tournament if the Indian government and the BCCI don’t send India for the Asia Cup in August-September.
The BCCI and the ACC have already announced that the Asia Cup 2023 will be played in hybrid model across Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
India’s matches and some other matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
Yet, the drama from some of the people in the Pakistani government continue. The latest if Ehsaan Mazari, who has given the condition of Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup based on India flying to Pakistan for Asia Cup. He added that if India have demanded to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue (Sri Lanka), then Pakistan would also demand to play their World Cup matches at a neutral venue.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Mazari said, “My personal opinion, since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comes under my ministry, is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
“Pakistan is the host, it has the right to hold all the matches in Pakistan. That is what the cricket lovers want, I don’t want a hybrid model.”
India-Pakistan match scheduled for October 15 in Ahmedabad
A few days ago, reports emerged that the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a high-profile committee to ponder on the issue of the country’s participation in the World Cup in India.
“The committee will be headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and I am among the 11 ministers who are part of it. We will discuss the issue and give our recommendations to the PM, who is also the patron-in-chief of PCB. The PM will take the final decision,” Mazari added.
