The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi, has stated that there is no guarantee that Babar Azam’s team will play their highly anticipated match against India in the ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad. The final decision will be made by the Pakistani government, and the tour itself is also dependent on government approval.
Pakistan has not agreed to play their group league match against India on October 15 in Ahmedabad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has not yet cleared the Motera Stadium due to security concerns. Sethi addressed the issue at a media conference in Lahore on Friday, saying, “We have written to the ICC that we can’t give approval or disapproval to this (World Cup schedule). It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play.”
Sethi emphasized that it is premature to ask if Pakistan will play in Ahmedabad. The first step is to determine whether they will participate in the World Cup, and then the government will decide the destination. Their decision will be based on these two important conditions.
Pakistan’s remaining eight matches are scheduled to be played in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata.
Sethi recalled the situation in 2016 when India did not visit Pakistan, but Pakistan still went to India. He mentioned consulting the interior minister at that time and discussing whether to go to India or boycott the World Cup. Ultimately, after discussions with then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it was decided that Pakistan would participate. An intelligence team was sent to India to assess the venues, resulting in one venue being changed from Dharamsala to Kolkata. Pakistan then went on to participate in the T20 World Cup.
Sethi did not provide a specific timeframe for when the government will make a decision, as the country is preparing for general elections in October.
“I have taken up the issue with the Prime Minister, and they haven’t deliberated about this,” Sethi explained. “The Prime Minister said they have to involve the foreign office as well and have to think it through, so it’s premature… There is no development right now… If they give us permission, then it comes down to our venue preference where we are going to play. It’s the government’s decision…”