Pakistan Makes A Huge U-Turn, Shows It's Back To ICC And BCCI Before ICC World Cup 2023

With the cricketing world eagerly waiting for Pakistan to confirm their participation in the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have shared their official stance on the same.

Pakistan are expected to play the World Cup in India but nothing is yet confirmed as of now. The Men in Green are waiting for the Pakistan government’s permission to travel to India and participate in the marquee event. Earlier, the PCB had threatened to boycott the World Cup after BCCI stated that they would not visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

But the situation improved when the Asian Cricket Council accepted PCB’s hybrid model proposal. However, Pakistan are yet to confirm their participation in World Cup 2023. And recently, the PCB reiterated their stance on the matter, saying that the team’s participation in the tournament is subject to government clearance.

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“The board requires the Government of Pakistan’s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues,” a PCB spokesperson was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

“We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear something from them, we will update the Event Authority [ICC]. This position is consistent to what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback,” added the spokesperson.

PCB to send security team:

The report further stated that the PCB have initiated the process of involving the government to obtain the necessary permissions to get the green light for the World Cup. The cricket board could also engage with the ICC in order to finalise the venues for their matches. Recent media reports suggested that the PCB wanted venues of some of their games to be changed.

The news outlet has reported that the PCB is contemplating sending a security team to the five venues (Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata) where the Pakistan team is scheduled to play matches during the World Cup. The timeline for this exercise has not been established and will depend on the government’s response.

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It is not unusual for some teams to send security teams to assess the arrangements before major tournaments. In 2016, a security team report from Pakistan influenced the ICC’s decision to move the World T20 match against India from Dharamsala to Kolkata.

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