There were reports of significant opposition from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the venues for their matches in the tournament.
The schedule for the 2023 ODI World Cup was announced on Tuesday, revealing an exciting clash between India and Pakistan on October 15 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This match holds great significance as it marks the return of the Pakistan cricket team to Indian soil for the first time since 2016, when a Shahid Afridi-led side toured the country for the T20 World Cup. Due to political tensions between the two nations, these two teams have only met in ICC tournaments in recent years.
There were reports of significant opposition from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the venues for their matches in the tournament. Led by Najam Sethi, the PCB wanted to swap the venues for their matches against Afghanistan and Australia. They proposed facing Australia in Chennai and Afghanistan in Bengaluru. However, their request was denied.
Although no official reason was given for the request, ESPNCricinfo stated that the venue swap would have favored Pakistan in both matches. The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the request, leading former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal to express strong disapproval towards the board.
Akmal emphasized that such requests should not come from the board, as they can negatively impact a player's morale.
“Conditions, venues shouldn't be a concern for teams anymore. These things shouldn't happen in international cricket. Today, India beat Australia, South Africa, New Zealand on their own turf. We shouldn't be making excuses like why we are playing against Afghanistan in Chennai, or India in Ahmedabad. Your focus should be on cricket only,” Akmal said during an interview with paktv.tv.
“It's my request to board members, stop doing making such low-standard requests. The level of international cricket has advanced now. Players should be proud of their achievements, they should know what the fans and the board expect from them. You shouldn't say such things and instead pull down the level of your cricket,” Akmal further said.
Pakistan will commence their campaign against the Qualifier 1, a team participating in the ongoing ICC World Cup qualifiers, on October 6th.
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