After a long wait, ICC have finally announced the schedule of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. There will be a total of 10 venues -- Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata -- hosting the main matches in the tournament. The tournament will commence with defending champions England and runner-up New Zealand taking on each other on October 5. India will clash with their arch-rivals Pakistan on October 15. Pakistan has previously reportedly requested ICC to swap two venues of their matches for tactical reasons, although ICC denied that request. Although even after the schedule release, Pakistan's participation in the World Cup 2023 is not confirmed. Meanwhile, fans wanting to know if Pakistan will participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, will get the complete information here. Pakistan Cricket Team Full Schedule at ICC World Cup 2023: Check PAK Full Fixtures and Match Venues in CWC Tournament.
Pakistan's involvement in the World Cup is subject to their government's approval. It has even resulted in a delay in the ICC announcing the tournament's fixtures list. According to ESPNCricinfo, The PCB had written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries a few days ago, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list and the decision will eventually have to come from their government.
"We have received the official invitation from the Indian prime minister to our prime minister for the virtual meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on the 4th of July," a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad. "Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days. Regarding cricket, Pakistan is of the view that politics should not be mixed with sports. India's policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing. We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers and we will offer our views to PCB in due course." ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan's Request to Relocate Venues For Two Matches Rejected By International Cricket Council.
Although the ICC are confident of Pakistan's participation. According to ICC's spokesperson, "Pakistan have signed a participation agreement to compete and we 100% expect them to be there and have had no indications to the contrary. All members have to abide by the rules and the laws of the country and we respect that. But we're confident, Pakistan will be in India for the Men's Cricket World Cup." Unlike the other teams, who have their league matches spread across most of the ten venues for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Pakistan will play their nine league matches in only five cities. If they qualify for the semifinal, irrespective of the standings, they will be playing at the Eden Gardens. Currently the ICC will hope that no complications arise from their end and Pakistan's participation will go ahead as planned.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2023 11:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).