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The eagerly awaited release of the official schedule for the 2023 World Cup is still pending as the International Cricket Council (ICC) awaits confirmation from Pakistan regarding their participation in the tournament to be held in India later this year.
Amidst all the delays, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a peculiar request to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), seeking a change of venue for their two World Cup matches. However, no official announcement has yet been made regarding this request or the World Cup schedule. However, Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin has given his opinion on Pakistan’s appeal.
As per the draft of the initial schedule, which was later shared with all the participating nations, Pakistan were to face Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 20 October, followed by Afghanistan at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai three days later. The match was to happen. However, the PCB has expressed its desire to change the venue for both these matches. While the board has not given any specific reason for this request, reports indicate that Pakistan want to ensure that they are treated as favorites in both the games.
Ashwin doesn’t think ICC will take the request seriously
Responding to this unusual appeal, Ashwin shared his thoughts on the matter in a recent episode of his YouTube channel. He expressed doubts about the ICC’s willingness to consider the request given the nature of the reasoning behind it. Ashwin suggested that if Pakistan had cited security concerns, the venues could have been swapped, as happened during the 2016 T20 World Cup when the match between India and Pakistan, originally to be held in Dharamsala, was shifted Was shifted to Kolkata.
“Pakistan has mentioned in its request letter itself that the conditions in Chennai will favor Afghanistan. Is that if Pakistan has done so given some valid security reasons, it can be shifted. One more important point. Interesting request of Pakistan to change the venues. Now the stability is that Pakistan will play Australia in Bengaluru and Chennai I am playing from Afghanistan. They want the places to be swapped,” Ashwin said in his video.
Ashwin further said that the ICC would only consider such requests on the grounds of security. He cited the example of the 2016 T20 World Cup, where the India-Pakistan match was originally scheduled in Dharamsala, but was shifted to Kolkata due to security reasons.
The official announcement regarding the World Cup schedule is expected to be made by the ICC on June 27, which is exactly 100 days from the start of the tournament.
