Pakistan’s Sports Minister Warns of ICC ODI World Cup Withdrawal Amidst India’s Refusal to Travel for Asia Cup
New Delhi, 10th July 2023: Ehsaan Mazari, Pakistan’s Sports Minister, has delivered a stern message, stating that Pakistan will opt out of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 should the Indian cricket team refuses to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, scheduled to commence on August 31. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had previously announced that Pakistan and Sri Lanka would jointly co-host the continental event, following the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) statement that they were unable to send their team across the border due to denial of permission from the Indian government.
Voicing his viewpoint, Mazari, who oversees the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), conveyed to The Indian Express, “If India persists with their preference to hold their Asia Cup matches at a neutral venue, we will also demand the same for our World Cup matches in India.” The Asia Cup is scheduled to hold four matches in Pakistan and nine in Sri Lanka. The first group consists of India, Pakistan, and Nepal, while the second group includes Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Mazari strongly opposes the hybrid model that assigns all of India’s matches to Sri Lanka, asserting that as the host, Pakistan should have the right to hold all the matches within its borders. He stressed, “That’s precisely what cricket enthusiasts desire. I am personally not in favour of a hybrid approach.”
Recently, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, formed a committee led by Foreign Minister Bilal Bhutto Zardari to discuss Pakistan’s participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in India starting October 5. Mazari, being one of the 11 ministers on the committee, stated that their recommendations would be presented to the Prime Minister, who is also the patron-in-chief of the PCB, and that the final decision would be made by him.
Accusing India of intertwining sports and politics, Mazari dismissed security concerns by highlighting recent examples of international teams visiting Pakistan. He mentioned the visits of the New Zealand and England cricket teams, both of whom received presidential-level security. Mazari also mentioned the warm welcome given by fans to the Indian team during their previous visit to Pakistan. He argued that security concerns were merely an excuse and pointed out that Pakistan had successfully hosted the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with the participation of numerous foreign players.
Next week, an International Cricket Council meeting will take place in South Africa, attended by BCCI Secretary and ACC Chairman Jay Shah, as well as PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf.
Regarding reservations expressed by former PCB Chairman Najam Sethi concerning India playing Pakistan in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup, Mazari dismissed the concerns, stating that he did not anticipate any issues with Ahmedabad as Pakistan had played there previously. However, he emphasized that a positive response from India was necessary, urging them to play in Pakistan. Mazari mentioned that Zaka Ashraf was in South Africa, and the outcome of the meeting would determine the course of action.
