CWC 2023: PCB wants venue changes against these three teams

According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested that the locations of games against Afghanistan and Australia be changed. Additionally, they have expressed hesitation about playing India in Ahmedabad. This information about the unwillingness to play these three countries follows the publication of the tentative schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. On October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the showpiece match was scheduled to pit Pakistan against India. The schedule states that they will face Afghanistan on October 23 in Chennai and Australia on October 20 in Bengaluru.

Why is PCB reluctant to play these teams?

PCB is reluctant to play these teams for multiple reasons. The cricketing board had earlier told the International Cricket Council (ICC) to not schedule their matches in Ahmedabad stating security reasons. They previously had suggested three cities to play which were Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru. Najam Sethi, Chairman, PCB had said that they would not play in Ahmedabad until it is a knockout game. On the other hand, the ICC is pushing for the India vs Pakistan match to be held in Ahmedabad. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is the largest stadium in terms of seating capacity and can seat over 100,000 people. ICC sees the match as an opportunity to generate high revenue if the match is played in Ahmedabad.

They don’t want to face Afghanistan in Chennai because they think the pitch and weather are in the opposition team’s favour. The Chennai Chepauk stadium is renowned for its help to spinners. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad make up the Afghanistan team’s exceptionally talented spin trio. The PCB believes that playing Afghanistan in the Chepauk stadium will put the Babar Azam-led team at a disadvantage. 

Australia and Pakistan will square off in Bengaluru. Short boundaries at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium are renowned for helping players with strong striking skills. PCB analysts have proposed changing the location of their matches against Australia and Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Stance on the World Cup 

According to Najam Sethi, they intend to wait till their government decides whether or not to send a team to India for the World Cup. As a result of India’s refusal to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup, tensions erupted, and Pakistan suggested that they might boycott the ICC event. With Pakistan hosting 4 matches and Sri Lanka hosting 9, the Asia Cup will now be a hybrid event. Although it will be difficult for Pakistan to withdraw from an ICC competition, ex-cricketers advise against their visit to India. Javed Miandad, a former cricketer for Pakistan, opposes Pakistan’s visit to India. While talking about the situation, Miandad said, “Pakistan’s cricket is better than India’s. India can go to hell if they do not want to come here. Pakistan should refuse to travel to India for the World Cup.” Miandad believes that India should visit India first. 

Also Read: Does India Need To Look Away From 3 Format Players?

 “Get more breaking news, cricket updates, fixtures, and trending news only on cricfiles.com. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel today.”