The ODI World Cup is scheduled to begin on the 5th of October this year with the final to be played on November 19. India is the host of the tournament but Pakistan are likely to play their matches at a different venue, most probably in Bangladesh. This comes after the ICC meetings last week in which the hybrid Asia Cup model was being looked at as a solution.
The idea came at the board meetings in Dubai, where India's presence in the Asia Cup (Hosted by Pakistan) and Pakistan's presence at the World Cup (Hosted by India) were points on the agendas. However, the discussion on the venues took place as just an option and no official declaration has been made about the same.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, "The Asian Cricket Council agreed in principle to look at a hybrid model that will allow the tournament to take place in Pakistan but for India's matches to be played at a neutral venue that is yet to be finalized. Options include the UAE, Oman, Sri Lanka, or even England. The India-Pakistan games will be played at the neutral venue as well as the final should India reach it. The PCB then proposed in informal discussions that could be applied to the World Cup as well."
The Asia Cup was scheduled in September this year but BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, announced in October 2022 that India will not travel to Pakistan. In the first formal meeting between BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB chairman Najam Sethi held in Bahrain on February 4, the discussion regarding the venue of Asia Cup 2023 took place but the final decision was withheld.
Sethi raised questions on India's concerns regarding security in Pakistan as many teams are traveling to the country.
"I have kept my options open because when all teams are coming to Pakistan and have no issues with security. Then why is India worried about security? In the same way, we can also have security concerns over sending our team to India for the World Cup and I will be bringing this to the table at the coming meetings," Najam Sethi said in a press conference.
"Obviously we don’t support India's stance because we want to hold the Asia Cup and remember it is not just about the Asia Cup and World Cup it is also about the Champions Trophy in 2025 in Pakistan.
"I had sought advice from the government and the situation is that we have to go by what our patron-in-chief tells us to do. If he says go and play in World Cup even if India doesn’t come for Asia Cup, what can we do? If he says don’t go it is a similar situation for us," he added.
