ISLAMABAD: The federal government has established a high level panel led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to discuss Pakistan’s involvement in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, hosted by India.
As diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India remain strained and security concerns in the neighboring country persist, the participation of the national team in the highly anticipated ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is uncertain.
In October, the tournament will commence with 50-over matches. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stated that they require government approval to send the team to India. India has been Pakistan’s arch-rival since the partition in 1947.
In a recent letter addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the cricket governing body sought clearance for Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup. PM Shehbaz formed a committee to decide if the national squad should participate in the T20 World Cup in India.
Sources indicate that the committee will provide recommendations on all matters concerning the World Cup in India. Pakistan’s tour will be decided based on these recommendations. The committee will submit the final recommendations to the prime minister for approval.
The committee, headed by FM Bilawal, includes Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, heads of national security institutions, and the foreign secretary.
In the letter sent through the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), the PCB also requested the government to evaluate the expected security arrangements at the five venues assigned to Pakistan for their World Cup matches.
The ICC recently announced the schedule, which includes the Pakistan-India match scheduled to take place on October 15 in Ahmedabad, adding to the anticipation of fans.
Pakistan’s Scheduled Matches For The World Cup
The authorities have earmarked five venues for Pakistan matches—
- October 12 – vs Qualifier in Hyderabad
- October 15 – vs India in Ahmedabad
- October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
- October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 5 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru
- November 12 – vs England in Kolkata
If Pakistan advances to the semi-finals, their match will take place in Kolkata. The organizers have scheduled the final match to take place in Ahmedabad on November 15.
In 2016, a three-member delegation was sent by the government to India to evaluate the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. As a result of security concerns, the ICC relocated Pakistan’s match against India from Dharamsala to Kolkata.
