Pakistan continues to delay confirmation on ODI World Cup participation; the government to now send a security delegation to India to assess venues

In case of any issues, the PCB will write to BCCI and the ICC asking to change the venues. 

Pakistan continues to delay confirmation on ODI World Cup participation; the government to now send a security delegation to India to assess venues

Will Pakistan participate in ODI World Cup? (Images via HT, Sportstar)

Pakistan and its love affair with security concerns continue to delay the confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the team’s participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Although the International Cricket Council (ICC) has already announced the full-fledged schedule for the tournament with Pakistan included among ten participating teams, PCB seeks clearance from the State.

The Pakistan government, meanwhile, will decide only after a security delegation (sent by them) visits India to assess the venues allotted to Pakistan and submits its report without any complaints. In case of any issues, the PCB will write to BCCI and the ICC asking to change the venues. 

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“The security delegation will go with representation from the PCB to inspect the venues where Pakistan will play and also the security and other arrangements made for them in the World Cup,” an official source within the Inter-Provincial Coordination (Sports) Ministry was quoted saying by PTI. 

“The delegation will interact with the officials there and discuss and inspect with them the security and other arrangements for our players, officials, fans, and media, who will go for the tournament,” he said.

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What if Pakistan’s security delegation finds any issues and they don’t participate in ODI World Cup?

pakistan odi world cup
Pakistan Cricket Team (Image via NDTV Sports)

In case the security delegation sent by the Pakistan government reports any issues about the venues allotted to Pakistan, the PCB will write to BCCI and ICC and ask for a change in the venues. However, it is up to the hosts to decide if they want to accept Pakistan’s request or not. 

Now, in case of a difference of opinion, Pakistan might pull out of the 2023 ODI World Cup as they have been threatening to do in the past few months. In such a scenario, Pakistan will be replaced by the team which finishes third in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers. 

However, the chances for the same look really slim considering how much BCCI and ICC will benefit from Pakistan’s participation. The most-awaited league game of the tournament, India vs Pakistan is scheduled to be played at the world’s largest stadium just to ensure that maximum people come to watch the contest live. So, neither BCCI nor the ICC will want Pakistan to pull out.

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