The official schedule for the 2023 World Cup is yet to be announced, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) is still awaiting confirmation from Pakistan regarding their participation in the tournament, which is set to take place in India later this year. In the midst of this uncertainty, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a peculiar request to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to change the venue for two of their World Cup matches. The request is currently awaiting an official response from the ICC, and the World Cup schedule remains undisclosed. In light of Pakistan's request, veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared his opinion.
Unusual request unlikely to be granted
According to the draft schedule initially shared with all participating nations, Pakistan is scheduled to play against Australia at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 20 and against Afghanistan three days later at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, the PCB has requested a venue swap for these two matches. While the board has not provided a specific reason for the request, reports suggest that Pakistan desires to play as favorites in both games.
In response to this unusual request, Ashwin expressed his belief on his YouTube channel that the ICC is unlikely to entertain the request due to the nature of the reason provided. He suggested that if Pakistan had cited security concerns, a venue swap could have been considered, as was done during the 2016 T20 World Cup when the India-Pakistan match originally scheduled in Dharamsala was moved to Kolkata.
"Pakistan, in their request letter itself, have mentioned that conditions will favour Afghanistan in Chennai. So, by changing venues, it plays into Pakistan's advantage. So, I highly doubt that the ICC will heed this request. Maybe if Pakistan had given some valid security reasons, then it might be shifted. Another important thing. Pakistan’s interesting request to switch venues. The fixtures now are Pakistan playing Australia in Bangalore and Afghanistan in Chennai. They want the venues interchanged.
"Only for security reasons, the ICC will consider these requests. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, India vs Pakistan was slated to happen in Dharamsala, but for security reasons, it got shifted to Kolkata," he said.
The official fixture for the tournament is anticipated to be announced by the ICC on June 27, marking precisely 100 days before the commencement of the event.
