Pakistan PM forms committee to determine cricket team's participation in 2023 World Cup in India

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has formed a high-level committee, led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, to make a decision on the national cricket team's involvement in the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

The committee will thoroughly examine and discuss various aspects, including Pakistan-India relations, the government's policy of separating sports and politics, and the prevailing situation in India concerning players, officials, fans, and media. The recommendations put forth by the committee will be presented to Prime Minister Sharif, who also serves as the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Despite the International Cricket Council and the host Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing the World Cup schedule, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed the need for government clearance due to the tense relations between the two countries.

In addition to Bilawal Bhutto, the committee consists of Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari, Maryam Aurangzeb, Asad Mahmood, Amin ul Haq, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and former diplomat Tariq Fatmi. These members will engage in a comprehensive evaluation of the situation before making recommendations to the Prime Minister.

The PCB has informed the ICC and BCCI that it intends to send a high-level security delegation to India to inspect the venues where Pakistan's matches are scheduled to be held. This move demonstrates the PCB's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of its players and officials. Zaka Ashraf, the acting chairman of the board, and Salman Taseer, the chief operating officer, are scheduled to attend ICC meetings in Durban. During these discussions, Ashraf is expected to address India's repeated refusal to send its team to Pakistan, citing security concerns.

The eagerly anticipated match between India and Pakistan in the World Cup will take place on October 15 at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. Pakistan's warm-up games will be held in Hyderabad before they face the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in their initial World Cup matches at the same venue. The team will also compete in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.

Matches between India and Pakistan only occur in Asia Cup or ICC events, making the World Cup encounters between these two cricketing powerhouses highly anticipated and significant.