The head and CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC) are in Lahore to get a promise from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that it won’t try to use a hybrid plan for Pakistan’s games at the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which will be held in India later this year. Insiders told the news agency PTI that ICC head Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice came to Lahore to get some guarantees from the Pakistan Cricket Board about the national team’s involvement in the World Cup in October and November.
The news comes after Najam Sethi, the head of the PCB, made it clear that the team wouldn’t go to the World Cup in India if the Rohit Sharma-led team didn’t come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup first.
“The ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is hosting the World Cup, are worried about the mixed plan that is being pushed by Najam Sethi, who is in charge of the PCB’s Cricket Management Committee. Sethi has offered the hybrid model for the Asia Cup, which comes before the ICC event. However, there is still worry that if it is accepted for the regional event, the PCB could then ask the ICC to use it for the World Cup when Pakistan plays in India,” the source said.
Sethi has previously stated that if the Pakistan government does not provide approval or has security concerns about sending the team to India, the PCB may request that the matches be held at a neutral location. “Naturally, neither the ICC nor the BCCI want such a situation because Pakistan’s unequivocal participation in matches in India would ensure the success of both the Indo-Pakistan series and the tournament itself,” the source added.
Another source stated that this was the key reason why BCCI secretary Jay Shah was still hesitant to embrace the hybrid format for the Asia Cup and support having three or four matches in Pakistan and the rest in the UAE or Sri Lanka. The Asia Cup is being hosted by Pakistan, and Sethi has stated repeatedly that if the event is transferred to a neutral nation other than Pakistan, Pakistan will not participate.
He has also intimated that if Pakistan does not get to host certain Asia Cup 2023 matches, it may have an impact on the World Cup. “ICC officials are attempting to act as a bridge between the PCB and the BCCI in order to resolve outstanding issues concerning the Asia Cup and World Cup,” the source added.
