ICC and BCCI Reject PCB's Demand Of Swapping Venues For World Cup 2023
India faced Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup (AP Photo)
In what could be a major setback for Pakistan's ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 aspirations, both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have rejected Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) request to change venues for their matches in the marquee tournament.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, the ICC and BCCI via a meeting on June 20 have made their stance clear to the PCB about the same in a joint decision. The PCB after receiving the initial draft schedule of the CWC 2023, had requested BCCI and ICC to swap their venue for matches against Australia and Afghanistan, respectively.
According to the draft, Pakistan is supposed to play Australia in Bengaluru, while their Afghanistan encounter would be held in Chennai. As per local reports, PCB objected to the venues, and asked for them to swapped, which needed ICC's approval with hosting rights being with BCCI.
As per ICC laws, the venue can only be shifted if there is a security threat or the stadium is deemed unfit for international cricket, where neither of the two applies for Chepauk and Chinnaswamy.
PCB, however, did show their displeasure about playing in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Earlier, in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 in India, Pakistan's tie against the hosts was shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata due to security concerns.
Both teams will face each other in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, which will be played across two nations — Pakistan and Sri Lanka — which commences on August 31.
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