Amid the ongoing standoff between BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket a> oard (PCB) regarding the Asia Cup 2023, the PCB have reportedly agreed to tour India for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 having earlier threatened to boycott the tournament.
After BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s refusal to send the Indian team across to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, PCB had issued a statement claiming that they might retaliate by not travelling to India for the ODI World Cup but they have decided to do a complete U-turn.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, PCB will travel to India and the marquee clash between India and Pakistan is slated to be played on October 15.
The inaugural game of the World Cup in India will be played between England and New Zealand on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the final scheduled to be played at the same venue on November 19.
Rohit Sharma’s men are likely to open their account in the World Cup against Australia in Chennai. The report adds that the BCCI are likely to come up with a formal schedule after the end of the ongoing IPL 2023 season, once they get approval from all the various stakeholders.
The biggest talking point will be PCB’s decision to travel across the border amidst the continued standoff between the two nations regarding the Asia Cup 2023. The report also adds that the PCB had some reservations regarding playing India in Ahmedabad, and thus PCB Chief Najam Sethi had reportedly visited the ICC office in Dubai to express his concerns about the issue. Should the Babar Azam-led unit qualify for the final of the ODI World Cup 2023, they are not likely to have any complaints about playing in Ahmedabad henceforth.
As per a tentative schedule drawn up by the BCCI, the report adds that Babar and his men are likely to be handed matches in South Zone with the crowds in Chennai having a repertoire for being peaceful and is likely to be handed most Pakistan games, apart from Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
The report further adds that barring Ahmedabad and the aforementioned three South zone cities, Kolkata, Delhi, Indore, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Rajkot, Raipur and Mumbai will be the host cities for the World Cup games, with Mohali and Nagpur missing out on the final list. One of the two semifinal matches could be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium which hosted the 2011 World Cup final.
With 10 participant teams, every nation will likely play nine games, and with a total of 48 matches to be played in the World Cup, every city is likely to witness at least one match of the Men in Blue.
Apart from India, the hosts of the World Cup, England, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa have qualified directly for the quadrennial championship, while two more teams will join through the qualifying tournament which is slated to be played in June-July.
Get the latest Cricket News, IPL 2023 Live Score, Orange Cap and Purple Cap holder details here
Comments
0 comment