ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan to send a security delegation to India to assess venues before granting approval for World Cup - Reports?

The much anticipated ICC World Cup 2023 is around three months away from now. The biggest carnival in International cricket has kept everyone on their toes. The International Cricket Council (ICC) along with the Board of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) announced the official schedule of the tournament. 

The tournament will take place in India for the first time since 2011. The ICC World Cup 2023 will be played from 5th October. A total of 48 matches will take place and 10 teams will fight for the title. 

Out of 10 teams, 8 have made a direct entry into the tournament due to their performances in the ICC ODI Super League while the remaining two teams will be decided after the Qualifiers, which will take place in June in Zimbabwe. 

The ICC World Cup 2023 will begin with the blockbuster clash between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad whereas the final will also take place at the same venue. Apart from this, Chennai, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Dharamshala and Hyderabad will be the host venues. 

Despite all the schedule and preparations being done, the participation of Pakistan still remains a big question mark. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made it clear that until and unless they get clearance from the government they won?t send their team to Pakistan. 

Read Also: When is IND vs PAK? Check India vs Pakistan Date, Time, Full Squads, Pitch report, Streaming and Broadcasting Details | ICC World Cup 2023

However, it is now learned as per the reports in TOI that Pakistan is likely to send a security delegation to India to assess venues before approving World Cup. The security team will be travelling to inspect the venues and only after that, they will send the team. 

Pakistan will play their matches in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata and the clash against India will be played at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15th.Therefore it is expected that the security team will be inspecting these venues. 

During the 2016 T20 World Cup, a similar sort of delegation came to India ahead of the tournament and they had some issues with Dharamsala venue. This forced BCCI along with ICC to change the venue and move their game to Kolkata. It remains to be seen what will be the roadmap this time around. 

ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan Schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

October 6: Pakistan vs Qualifier 1 at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad

October 12: Pakistan vs Qualifier 2 at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad

October 15: Pakistan vs India at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad

October 20: Pakistan vs Australia at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

October 23: Pakistan vs Afghanistan at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

October 27: Pakistan vs South Africa at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

October 31: Pakistan vs Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata

November 4: Pakistan vs New Zealand at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

November 12: Pakistan vs England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata