Pakistan will not take part in ODI World Cup 2023 in India, says PCB Chairman: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ramiz Raja has threatened India that it will not take part in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be held in India if India doesn’t make a trip to Pakistan for the next Asia Cup.
Raja further advocated his stance by saying “Who will watch” the World Cup if Pakistan pulls out of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India?
“If Pakistan doesn’t take part in the World Cup scheduled in India next year, who will watch it? We have a clear stand: If the Indian team comes here [for Asia Cup 2023] then we will go for the World Cup. If they don’t come then they can play the World Cup without us,” Raja told Urdu News.
The former Pakistani cricketer added that his side has defeated the “Billion Dollar Economy Team” twice in the recent past – in T20 World Cup 2021 and in Asia Cup 2022, earlier this year.
“We will adopt an aggressive approach. Our team is showing performance. I’ve always said we need to improve the economy of Pakistan cricket, and that can only happen when we perform well. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, we beat India. We beat India in the T20 Asia Cup. In one year, the Pakistan cricket team defeated a billion-dollar economy team twice,” he added.
Interestingly, a few months ago, Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President, said that the Indian national cricket team won’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. The continental tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue if India were to take part.
Following the statement, PCB came to action and called an emergency meeting with its officials. The cricket board expressed its dissatisfaction with Shah’s remark as they were said without prior consultation with the office bearers of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Pakistan even pressurised to renounce its ACC membership after the statement.
Meanwhile, Anurag Thakur, Union Sports Minister, stated that India can’t be overlooked as it is a major power in World Sports.
“Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports & no country can overlook India,” said the Union Sports Minister to news agency ANI.
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