New date for India-Pakistan World Cup 2023 match; 5-6 more games to be rescheduled; PCB makes new appeal to ICC and BCCI. The highly anticipated India-Pakistan encounter in the ICC World Cup 2023 is likely to be rescheduled for October 14 rather than October 15. The big-ticket showdown will take place at the same venue, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The premier match between the two arch-rivals is scheduled to be played in the world’s largest stadium, according to officials from both the BCCI and the ICC. However, it is not rare for the PCB to request venue adjustments for an ICC event in India. They forced a change in the venue of their league match against India from Dharmshala to Kolkata following a visit by their security mission ahead of the 2016 T20 World Cup.
A formal statement is likely on Thursday once the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) receives approval from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s top-level committee. Once that occurs, PCB will have no reservations about sending a squad to India for the ICC event, which is set to begin on October 5. They may, however, request a tour of all the venues in India where they are due to perform. According to reports in Pakistani media, PCB would form a special security team to do so.
According to ICC officials, the rescheduling of the India-Pakistan match will also result in a change in the schedule of Pakistan’s October 12 match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. It will most likely be held on October 10 to give Pakistan enough time between the two games. If the same rationale is adopted, Pakistan’s match against the Netherlands, set for October 6 at the same location in Hyderabad, might also be pushed back by a day or two.
The onset of the Navratri festival is the key cause for the shift in dates of the Indian vs Pakistan match. If the event had been staged on its initial date of October 15, security arrangements would have been challenging.
The ICC and BCCI had asked the PCB to reschedule two of their group matches, including the one against India in Ahmedabad.
A couple of Pakistan matches are not the only World Cup 2023 games that are likely to be rescheduled. Interestingly, changing Pakistan’s few group matches would not be the only modification to the ODI World Cup dates when the ICC releases a revised version. BCCI secretary Jay Shah revealed a few days ago that a few other member boards had requested some assistance.
