After much futile deliberation and show of reluctance and even threats, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has bowed down the power of the BCCI by agreeing to travel to India for the World Cup 2023 later in the year in October-November.
A tentative schedule for the World Cup 2023 is out in which India and Pakistan are scheduled to clash to resume their rivalry on October 15, Sunday, most likely in the largest seating capacity cricket stadium in the world – the iconic Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
However, the venue isn’t finalized yet as the Pakistan Cricket Board has expressed some reservations about playing in Ahmedabad.
Cribuzz has reported that while “Pakistan has agreed to tour India for the World Cup, independent of the continued standoff and uncertainty over the Asia Cup,” it is also learned that the Pakistan Cricket Board has raised objections over playing in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the state governed by the BJP.
“Majorly, the Pakistan Cricket Board is understood to be having reservations over playing the big game against India in Ahmedabad and that could be one of the reasons, it is being assumed, why Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, visited the ICC office in Dubai over the last couple of days,” Cricbuzz said.
Over the past year, there had been big talks and threats from the Pakistan Cricket Board officials about the PCB even threatening to boycott the World Cup 2023 in India if the BCCI do not send Team India to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 in September.
However, now the Pakistan Board has toned down their threats and succumbed to the power that the BCCI yields in ACC and the ICC. Realizing that Pakistan themselves stand to lose a lot of money and goodwill in the ICC by boycotting the World Cup in India, Najam Sethi and co. have now flared up their previous stance and agreed to travel to India even though the Indian Board has made it clear in no uncertain terms that India will not travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup.
For the Asia Cup, too, they are ready to make adjustments and have proposed a hybrid-model where India play all their matches in the UAE and other teams fly from Pakistan to the UAE to compete with India; the final, should India reach it, will also be played in the UAE in this model.
