Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Chairman Zaka Asharaf will be meeting a high-level panel formed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday to deliberate on their team’s participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup to be held in India.
PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer has formally written a letter to the PM, seeking the government’s permission for its team’s participation. The 14-member panel headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also includes chiefs of the national security institutions and the foreign secretary.
There are no indications to suggest any reluctance from the Pakistani side on making the trip to India. This comes after a BCCI-PCB compromise was arrived at wherein Pakistan’s demand to play the upcoming Asia Cup in a hybrid model - the initial round of Asia Cup matches will be played in Pakistan -- was met. ICC’s leading officials had also travelled to Pakistan to seek assurance of their World Cup participation.
The 14-member panel is to send its recommendations to the Prime Minister before he takes a final call. Reports in Pakistan media suggest that once Pakistan’s participation is cleared, a security unit will be constituted to do a recce of all the venues in India where they are scheduled to play.
INDIA-PAK MATCH DATE CHANGE
Also on the agenda will be a review of the expected change in the World Cup schedule with their mega-clash against India in Ahmedabad set to be advanced by a day from October 15 to 14. ICC sources say this will also lead to a change in the date of Pakistan’s October 12 tie against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.
{{/usCountry}}Also on the agenda will be a review of the expected change in the World Cup schedule with their mega-clash against India in Ahmedabad set to be advanced by a day from October 15 to 14. ICC sources say this will also lead to a change in the date of Pakistan’s October 12 tie against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.
{{/usCountry}}With the marquee match comprising the two arch-rivals set to be played in the world’s highest capacity stadium, officials in BCCI as well as ICC say that venue would not change.
However, it isn’t unprecedented that PCB would call for changes in venues for an ICC event in India. After a visit of their security delegation ahead of the 2016 T20 World Cup, they had forced a change in venue of their league tie against India from Dharmshala to Kolkata.