World Cup 2023: Pakistan admits their involvement, and Ahmedabad has the opportunity to alter perception.
The decision came when India clarified that it will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, after which Pakistan threatened to withdraw from ICC World Cup 2023. Kolkata cannot be the host city for the India-Pakistan clash; it should be Chennai ’99 to ensure the delicate India-Pakistan highland is kept safe.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the country’s cricket team will travel to India to participate in the ICC World Cup 2023. This decision came after India made it clear that they would not travel to Pakistan, and Pakistan was threatening to withdraw from the World Cup 2023. The Asia Cup 2023 was also in question. In a press release, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that sports should not be mixed with politics.
Before the announcement of the 2023 World Cup schedule by ICC, Ahmedabad was being viewed with suspicion. When it was reported that the world’s largest stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, is likely to host the clash, tensions escalated between the two neighboring countries. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief, Najam Sethi, said, “When I heard this statement, I smiled and said to myself – ‘This is a way to ensure that we don’t go to India’… I don’t want to get into the politics of it, but it definitely seems like a political move because if there’s one city where we might face security issues, it’s Ahmedabad… They are telling us – ‘Hey, we are going to play in Ahmedabad, and you better be careful.
The Pakistani government took its time to approve the cross-border tour of its cricket team. They formed a high-level committee, headed by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and included 11 ministers to prepare a report, based on which the final decision was to be made by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the head of PCB.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concerns about the security of their cricket team in India and has shared this with ICC and Indian authorities. “However, Pakistan is deeply concerned about the security of its cricket team. We are communicating these concerns to the International Cricket Council and Indian officials. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, we hope that during the India tour, the complete security of the Pakistan cricket team will be ensured.