The official schedule for the World Cup 2023 is set to be announced by the BCCI and ICC later this month. But the draft schedule has been prepared and shared with all the board. Regarding that, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are unhappy with a couple of games and venues and have put in a request to the ICC for swapping the venues for their games against Afghanistan and Australia.
In the draft schedule for World Cup 2023, which will be hosted in India in October-November, Pakistan are slated to play Australia in Bengaluru on October 20 and then Afghanistan in Chennai on October 23, but they have asked for a swap of venues of these two matches.
While it is not stated clearly why PCB wants such a swap, it is believed in some quarters that PCB doesn’t want to face the Afghanistan spinners – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and possibly Noor Ahmed – in the spin-assisting track in Chennai. Such a request without a strong reason is unlikely to be accepted by the BCCI; in the past, venues and matches have been changed only because of security reasons.
In an internal memo, seen by ESPNcricinfo, it is stated that PCB believes they would be “favorites” facing Afghanistan in Bangalore and Australia in Chennai.
R Ashwin gives his verdict over PCB requesting a venue change
This didn’t sit right with senior India off-spinner R Ashwin, who took to his YouTube channel to give his opinion on this topic of PCB requesting a venue swap.
“Pakistan, in their request letter itself, have mentioned that conditions will favor Afghanistan in Chennai. So, by changing venues, it plays into an advantage for Pakistan. So, I highly doubt that ICC will heed to this request. Maybe if Pakistan have given some valid security reasons, then it might be shifted. Another important thing. Pakistan’s interesting request to switch venues. The fixture now is, Pakistan playing Australia in Bangalore and Afghanistan in Chennai. They want the venues interchanged,” R Ashwin said in his YouTube video.
“Only for security reasons, ICC will consider these requests. In the 2016 T20 WC, India vs Pakistan was slated to happen in Dharamsala but for security reasons, it got shifted to Kolkata,” he said.
India and Pakistan are slated to play against each other in Ahmedabad, at the Narendra Modi stadium.
