Published: Jul 09, 2023, 03:46 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 09, 2023, 03:46 PM (IST)
The ICC recently announced the schedule for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. The tournament will start on October 5, with Egland taking on New Zealand. Meanwhile, Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka before the World Cup.
Asia Cup 2023 was in hot soup after BCCI refused to send team India to Pakistan after which PCB proposed a hybrid model for the tournament where a few matches of the Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan before the tournament moves to Sri Lanka.
Pakistan sports Minister Ehsaan Mazari is not happy with hybrid model of the Asia Cup and made a bold claim that if BCCI wants the Asia Cup to be played at a neutral venue, PCB should boycott the world cup 2023. Mazari is part of the committee which will recommend Pakistan PM whether Babar Azam’s team should play the World Cup in India or not.
“My personal opinion, since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comes under my ministry, is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
Mazari To Indian Express
“The committee will be headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and I am among the 11 ministers who are part of it. We will discuss the issue and give our recommendations to the PM, who is also the patron-in-chief of PCB. The PM will take the final decision.”
Mazari also accused India of mixing cricket into politics, saying that Indian basketball played an event in Islamabad while Pakistan’s football and hockey teams have played in India.
“India brings sports into politics. I don’t understand why the Indian government doesn’t want to send their cricket team here. Some time back a huge baseball contingent from India was in Islamabad to play. There was also the bridge team that had travelled to Pakistan. There were around 60-plus people, I was the chief guest of the event. They won here and left. Pakistan’s football, hockey and chess teams also travel to India”.
The sports minister further said that security reasons are just an excuse for India to not travel to Pakistan, as New Zealand and England cricket teams have played Pakistan with presidential security.
“The New Zealand team was here, before that the England cricket team was in Pakistan. They got presidential security. Earlier, the Indian team was given a hearty welcome by the fans here. Security is an excuse. We also held the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that had so many foreign players.”
