ICC rejects Pakistan's request to relocate venues of two ODI World Cup 2023 matches in India: Report

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Pakistan's request to relocate two of their matches in the 2023 World Cup in India, said a report on Tuesday. The matches that Pakistan wanted to relocate were their matches against Afghanistan in Chennai and against Australia in Bengaluru.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had argued that the matches in Chennai and Bengaluru would be played on spin-friendly pitches and that they would be at a disadvantage against Afghanistan and Australia, reported PTI.

Pakistan cricket team hasn't played a bilateral series in India since 2007 due to security concerns.

The ICC has also said that it is "confident" that the Babar Azam-led team will come to India for the matches and it will be played in a safe and secure environment. The ICC has been working with the Indian government and the PCB to ensure that the matches are played in a safe and secure environment.

According to the World Cup fixtures announced on Tuesday, Pakistan will face India in Ahmedabad on October 15, Australia on October 20 and Afghanistan on October 23 at pre-determined venues.

Right after the announcement, the PCB said that its participation in the ODI World Cup will be contingent on government approval.

"Our participation in the World Cup and us playing in Ahmedabad on October 15 or in Mumbai if we qualify for semi-finals will all be dependent on government clearance," PTI quoted a PCB official as saying.

The PCB official reportedly mentioned that the government has not yet issued any NOC to the PCB to travel to India and given the sensitivity of the case, the Board can only proceed after receiving clear instructions from its government.

"We have already informed the ICC that our participation in the tournament or any issues over venues is linked to firstly the PCB getting clearance from the government to travel to India," PTI quoted the official as saying.

Pakistan has signed a participation agreement to compete, and the world governing body "completely expects them to be there and has received no indications to the contrary."

"All members have to abide by the rules and the laws of their country and we respect that. But we're confident Pakistan will be in India for the men's cricket World Cup," PTI quoted an ICC spokesperson as saying.

Pakistan last played in India in 2016 in the T20 World Cup. The last ODI encounter between India and Pakistan was during the 2019 World Cup in Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground, when India scored a big win. Rohit Sharma, who scored 140 off 113, was declared the Player of the Match. Virat Kohli had scored 77 off 65 balls, while KL Rahul had scored 57 off 78 balls. Pakistan’s Babar Azam had scored 48 off 57 balls.

Meanwhile, ICC on Tuesday announced the schedule of the Cricket World Cup, the much-awaited sports event of the year, which will kickstart exactly 100 days from now. The tournament will begin on October 5 with defending champions England taking on last edition's runner-up New Zealand in the opener in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

The tournament, which starts from October 5 and ends on November 19, will be played at different stadiums in India -- Narendra Modi Stadium, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Holkar Stadium, Eden Gardens, Wankhede Stadium, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, and Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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