The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has reached a resolution regarding the Asia Cup 2023, accepting the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Consequently, Babar Azam’s Men in Green are now anticipated to travel to India for the 50-over World Cup later this year. However, it has come to light that the Pakistan team has reservations about playing their matches at specific venues in the tournament.
According to the Press Trust of India, the Pakistan team is reportedly “uncomfortable” with the idea of facing Afghanistan in Chennai and Australia in Bengaluru.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had requested its member boards, including the PCB, to provide suggestions for the proposed itinerary. The PCB’s data, analytics, and team strategy experts have been entrusted with the responsibility of approving the venues where Pakistan’s matches are tentatively scheduled to take place in the mega event.
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A reliable source from the PCB stated, “The PCB sent the tentative itinerary for the team to the selectors/experts who apparently are not comfortable with some of the Pakistan team’s scheduled matches and venues like they have reservations on Pakistan playing Afghanistan in Chennai and Australia at Bengaluru,” as quoted by the PTI.
The source revealed that the selectors, who are also part of the team management, have advised the board to request a rescheduling of Pakistan’s matches. They have recommended playing against Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai, aligning with the team’s strengths.
Pakistan want their match against Afghanistan to be taken out of Chennai as they believe the BCCI intentionally scheduled it on a spin-friendly track against a spin-heavy Afghanistan side. They want to play Australia at Chennai and Afghanistan at Bengaluru, as per Express News.
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) June 17, 2023
The concern about playing Afghanistan in spin-friendly Chennai stems from the presence of formidable spinners like Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who showcased their skills for the Gujarat Titans in the 2023 Indian Premier League. On the other hand, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru typically offers favorable conditions for batting, making it difficult to comprehend Pakistan’s reluctance to face Australia there.
According to the PTI report, the ICC seeks suggestions on the itinerary as part of the protocol, but any venue changes must be supported by strong reasons.
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“A member board can push for a venue change due to safety reasons as Pakistan did in 2016 when they travelled to India for the T20 World Cup. If you start expressing reservations over a venue as per your team’s strengths and weaknesses on the field, then it becomes very tough to finalize the schedule,” a BCCI source stated.
Therefore, unless there are compelling reasons, changes to the venues are unlikely to be made.
