Will Pakistan Boycott World Cup In India? Sharif Forms Panel To Decide On Participation

Lahore: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already announced the schedule of the 2023 World Cup, to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.

According to the fixtures, Pakistan will play their 9 round-robin league matches at 5 venues — Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

The marquee match between Pakistan and India has been scheduled for October 15 at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad.

However, there is still no certainty whether Pakistan will travel to India for the ODI World Cup.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday formed a high-level committee, headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, to decide on Babar Azam & Co.’s participation in the mega tournament, reported PTI.

The committee will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, the government’s policy of keeping sports and policy apart, and the situation in India for the players, officials, fans and media before submitting its recommendations to the PM, who is also the patron-in-chief of Pakistan Cricket Board.

Bhutto apart, the other committee members are Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari, Maryam Aurangzeb, Asad Mahmood, Amin-ul Haq, Qamar Zaman Kaira and former diplomat Tariq Fatmi.

A high-level security delegation is likely to be sent to India to inspect the venues where Pakistan’s matches have been scheduled.

PCB’s acting chairman Zaka Ashraf and chief operating officer Salman Taseer, who will attend upcoming ICC meetings, are likely to discuss with the international body India’s repeated refusal to send its team to Pakistan citing security reasons.