ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan Issue Clarification Over Rumored Stance Regarding World Cup Participation In India

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released a statement to clarify the comments made by its Chairman Management Committee, Najam Sethi, regarding the holding of the Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue instead of in Pakistan.

The statement refers to a media talk in Rawalpindi/Islamabad on Thursday, where Mr Sethi briefed the media on the hybrid model he had presented to the ACC officials for the ACC Asia Cup to resolve the impasse that had been created following the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision not to send its team to Pakistan.

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The proposal put forward by Mr Sethi suggests playing India’s matches at a neutral venue and the rest of the matches in Pakistan. According to the statement, this proposal is currently under discussion within the ACC, and at no stage during Thursday’s media interaction did Mr Sethi give any reference to the ICC or make any remarks on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is scheduled for October. The statement clarifies that this matter has not been mooted or discussed at any ICC forum so far.

Pakistan Cricket Board Voice Disappointment Over Factually Incorrect Publication

The PCB expressed its disappointment that a leading English language newspaper has misquoted, misinterpreted and misrepresented Mr Sethi’s comments and gave the impression that the hybrid model was presented and discussed at the ICC, which is factually incorrect. The statement emphasizes that at this stage, the PCB is only in discussions with the ACC over the hosting of the ACC Asia Cup, and no discussions regarding the World Cup have taken place with the ICC.

“At no stage during Thursday’s media interaction, did I give any reference to the ICC or made any remarks on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is scheduled in October. This matter has not been mooted or discussed at any ICC forum so far.”

“In this background, the PCB is disappointed that a leading English language newspaper has misquoted, misinterpreted and misrepresented Mr Sethi’s comments and gave the impression that PCB’s hybrid model was presented and discussed at the ICC, which is factually incorrect. At this stage, the PCB is only in discussions with the ACC over the hosting of the ACC Asia Cup and no discussions regarding the World Cup have taken place with the ICC.”

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However, the statement notes that this is not to say that the hybrid model will not be advocated at the appropriate ICC forum at the right time. In conclusion, the PCB urges the media to exercise caution and accuracy while reporting on such matters and avoid misrepresenting the facts.

It will be interesting to see how the whole scenario pans out in the coming days, the media release comes hours after multiple media sources had reported that Pakistan want their World Cup matches to be held out of India, the same as how India want their matches to be held out of Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.

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