Pakistan Cricket Team Preferred Venues For ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Matches Would Be Kolkata And Chennai: Reports

According to ICC sources, the Pakistan cricket team would want to play the majority of its 2023 ODI World Cup matches in Chennai and Kolkata, the two cities where the squad has felt secure during previous trips.

46 matches, including the championship game, will be played in 12 Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Rajkot, Bangalore, Delhi, Indore, Mohali, Guwahati, and Hyderabad, for the World Cup, which is likely scheduled to begin on October 5.

It is reported that negotiations are presently taking place at the ICC level as senior members of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are meeting with a senior ICC executive to discuss the matter, which is still quite delicate.

“A lot will depend on what BCCI and the Indian government decide but given a choice, Pakistan will like to play most of its World Cup matches in Kolkata and Chennai.

“In Kolkata, Pakistan played its T20 World Cup game against India in 2016 and the players were very happy with the security. Similarly, Chennai as a venue remains memorable for Pakistan. It’s also about feeling safe at specific venues,” a source close to ICC Board, tracking developments, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The game between India and Pakistan will be the source of dispute.

Ahmedabad offers the International Cricket Council (ICC) the best opportunity to make the most money, but because the final is already taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the game may be played somewhere else.

For the league stage, which will be contested in a round-robin format, each side will play nine games.

The final schedule will be determined in the coming months by the ICC Events committee in collaboration with the host cricket board BCCI, allowing cricket fans in India and other countries to organise their travel plans.

The squad might play its matches in Bangladesh as part of a “hybrid format,” according to ICC General Manager Wasim Khan, who recently informed Pakistani media in his personal role. This is because the Indian team won’t be visiting Bangladesh for the Asia Cup.

But, PCB Chairman Najam Sethi had dismissed the notion of hosting World Cup games in Bangladesh at the time. Moreover, the ICC made it clear that Pakistan had not proposed a “hybrid approach” for international competitions.

The semi-final match between Pakistan and India at the 2011 World Cup was held in Mohali, making it logistically simple for the fans on the opposite side of the border to enter the Wagah Border. Mohali, however, is not listed among the 12 venues.

The prestigious quarterfinal in 1996 was place in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Since then, a lot has happened, making it challenging to welcome Pakistan at some of the designated locations, such as Bombay and Dharamsala, during these delicate times.

In reality, Pakistan’s 2016 World Cup match was set to take place in Dharamsala, but there were concerns that doing so would be unwise in light of the Pathankot disaster (terrorists attacked the air base).

Each team will have top-notch protection, but the BCCI and the Indian government want to make sure that nothing untoward happens.

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