Pakistan team likely to travel to India for mega Ind vs Pak World Cup clash in Ahmedabad: Report

Pakistan cricket team (PCB) will most likely visit India for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, said a report on Tuesday.

An official announcement by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) accepting the hybrid model proposed by PCB is expected to come in next two to three days, reported Dawn.

The hybrid model of PCB, if accepted by ACC, will see Pakistan retain their status as the hosts of the Asia Cup, hosting four to five of its own matches. ACC is headed by BCCI president Jay Shah.

Previously, PCB threatened to walk out of the world cup if the proposed hybrid model was not accepted.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had opposed the hybrid model for a long time. On Saturday, citing sources close to the matter, Dawn reported that BCCI had accepted the hybrid model for the Asia Cup. The tournament is scheduled to be held in September.

Although an official fixture is yet to be announced, on Monday, International Cricket Council (ICC) released a draft version of the fixtures for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

As per the draft, India and Pakistan will face each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15, 2023.

Pakistan is set to play in India for the first time since 2016, although the final decision on whether they will face their arch-rivals in Ahmedabad will have to be approved by the Pakistani government.

ICC has shared a draft schedule with the participating boards, including the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). As per the reports, the PCB has initiated discussions with the government regarding the fixture list, and a decision is expected to be reached in the coming week.

This also means that the official schedule for the World Cup will be released approximately three months before the tournament's first game, scheduled for October 5.

Based on the draft schedule, Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup campaign on October 6 in Hyderabad against one of the teams that qualify from the preceding rounds. They will then face another qualifier at the same venue on October 12.

Following this, the Babar Azam-led team will travel to Ahmedabad for a highly anticipated match against India on October 15. Five days later, they will play against Australia in Bengaluru, and on October 23 and 27, they will compete against Afghanistan and South Africa in Chennai.

On October 31, Pakistan will clash with Bangladesh in Kolkata, and then return to Bengaluru on November 5 to play against New Zealand. Their final league stage match will be against England in Kolkata on November 12.

On the other hand, India will face Australia in Chennai on October 8, Afghanistan on October 11, Bangladesh on October 19, New Zealand on October 15m, England on October 29.

The specific dates and venues for the semi-finals and final of the tournament have not yet been included in the draft schedule.
 

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