The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused Pakistan’s request to play their ICC World Cup 2023 matches in Bangladesh. The development comes after reports indicated that Pakistan would not be playing in India during the event, as the Indian board had declined to send their team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 to be played this year.
While ICC General Manager Wasim Khan had suggested the possibility of Pakistan playing at a neutral venue during the World Cup, a BCCI official strongly criticized his statement, saying that he had no right to speak on the matter. The Pakistan cricket authorities had hinted in October last year that they might withdraw from this year’s World Cup in India, following India’s refusal to send their team to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup.
Despite being one of cricket’s greatest rivalries, India and Pakistan have not played each other on home soil in any version of the game since 2012, and only meet in multinational tournaments on neutral grounds.
There were reports on Wednesday in the media that Pakistan could play their ODI World Cup 2023 matches in Bangladesh.
As tensions continue to rise between both the countries, a report by ESPNCricinfo suggests that Pakistan’s matches in the ODI World Cup 2023 are likely to be held in Bangladesh, while the rest of the tournament will take place in India.
This decision reportedly came out of an Asian Cricket Council meeting, where it was decided that India’s games in the Asia Cup would be held at a neutral venue outside of Pakistan, as proposed by the PCB. However, there has been no confirmation about which neutral venue will be chosen, and the ACC is expected to discuss the matter further in their next meeting.
Their last meeting was in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2022, where India emerged victorious with a stunning 5-wicket win, thanks to an impressive 82-run knock by Virat Kohli.
