Islamabad: With the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and India accepting the hybrid model proposed by Pakistan to host the Asia Cup cricket tournament, the focus is now on the ODI World Cup to be held in India. Although the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not announced the match schedule for the World Cup yet, BCCI has handed over the draft match schedule to the ICC. Accordingly, England and New Zealand will face each other in the first match on October 5. India’s first match is against Australia on October 8.
India-Pakistan match will be held on 15th in Ahmedabad. With the adoption of the hybrid model for the Asia Cup, it has been noted that Pakistan has relaxed its stance of not playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, but there are still concerns about this. Former Pakistan star Shahid Afridi has come out against the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision not to play at the Modi Stadium.
Afridi asked the PCB to allow the Pakistan team to play at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Afridi told a local news channel that he wants to give Pakistan a chance to win against India in Ahmedabad. “Why is Pakistan refusing to play on the Ahmedabad pitch? What is the spirit there?” asked Afridi.
“Go play – go play and win. If these are the challenges, then success is the only way to overcome them. What matters is the victory of the Pakistan team. Take this positively. “If that’s where India are comfortable, you have to go and get a win in front of a packed Indian crowd and show them what you’ve got,” the player added.
According to the report, the ICC officials had met PCB Chairman Najam Sethi in Pakistan. He is said to have informed that the World Cup match will not be played in Ahmedabad if it is not a knockout match. The BCCI has announced that the Indian team will not be allowed to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup matches. With this, ICC was forced to maintain a hybrid model. Nine matches, including India, will be played in Sri Lanka and four in Pakistan. The Asia Cup runs from August 31 to September 17. Teams from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal will participate.
English Summary: ‘Does Ahmedabad pitch worry?’: Afridi blasts PCB’s stand on India-Pakistan 2023 WC
