Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Minister and the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will head a committee appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, will convene on Thursday, August 3 to decide on the participation of the Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the 50-overs World Cup in India.
As per reports, the committee headed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari may seek a security check in India before taking the final call on the participation of Pakistan in the marquee tournament. It is expected that the committee might approach the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the apex cricketing governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) to allow a security delegation from their side to pay a visit to the venues where the 1992 ODI world champions are slated to play.
In addition to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the other dignitaries that will feature in the high-profile meeting includes Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari, Maryam Aurangzeb, Asad Mahmood, Amin ul Haq, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Tariq Fatmi.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board has agreed to the change in dates of its World Cup schedule involving the game against arch-rivals India and their Asian neighbours Sri Lanka. As per the revised schedule, Pakistan will now square off against India on October 14 instead of October 15 and will compete against the Lankan Lions on October 10 instead of their originally scheduled fixture on October 12.
The lack of enough security deployment because of the Hindu festival of Navratri has led to a change in the eagerly anticipated India versus Pakistan clash. However, the ICC is yet to share the revised schedule.
Both India and Pakistan will feature in the Asia Cup 2023 which is deemed as a dress rehearsal for teams before the World Cup. The continental tournament will be played at two venues - Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It was originally slated to be played in Pakistan but BCCI's stand to not tour the country led to Sri Lanka emerging as yet another host venue.
The tournament will begin on August 30 with Pakistan taking on Nepal in the curtain raiser in Multan. India and Pakistan will compete against one another on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. The summit clash of the tournament will be played at the R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on September 17.
