Reports: Pakistan agree to World Cup 2023 schedule change
The highly-anticipated encounter between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup has been rescheduled for October 14. The venue of the contest remains the same, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In addition, the ICC is yet to announce the revised schedule for the showpiece event.
As per reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has consented to the modification in the schedule. Apart from the encounter against India, Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka has been moved to October 10 instead of October 12. The match, however, will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad as per the original schedule.
The India-Pakistan clash, which was originally schedule on October 15, had to be preponed as it clashed with the first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri and the police were concerned that they might not guarantee appropriate security on that day. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the ICC recently informed the PCB of the revisions, and the Pakistan cricket board agreed.
Several Full Member countries have requested for a change in the schedule: Jay Shah
However, contrary to reports, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the change has no connection with the Navaratri festival. He stated that several ICC Full Member countries requested for alterations in the World Cup schedule last week. So, changes in the schedule were to be made accordingly.
The date change of the India-Pakistan match will impact on other games and teams. October 14 is already a double-header, with games between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Chennai and Afghanistan and England in Delhi. The latter match is expected to be played a day earlier (October 13).
The forthcoming ODI World Cup is slated to be held in India from October 5 to November 19. The 2019 World Cup finalists England and New Zealand will play the curtain raiser in Ahmedabad. The Rohit Sharma-led side will kick-start their campaign against the five-time World Cup champions Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
