Former pacer Wasim Akram opened up on the drama surrounding the Pakistan cricket team about a possible change in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 venues.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier requested a change in the World Cup venue where they urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to change venues for some of their games including an encounter against India which is to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Akram, 57, believes that the change of venue should be the least of concerns for the team as there is so much more at stake.
“See, I said this earlier as well. If I am asked to play on a certain date and at a certain venue, I have to play. Be it Ahmedabad, or Chennai, or Kolkata, or Mumbai… this does not affect players. So just play and don’t worry about it," Akram said on Radio Haanji.
It must be noted that two matches of the Pakistan cricket team could be rescheduled.
Since the tournament’s most anticipated game, India taking on Pakistan, is on the first day of Navratri — a festival celebrated with mass participation across Gujarat — security agencies have advised the BCCI to tweak the itinerary.
According to sources, Pakistan could face Sri Lanka on October 10, instead of October 12. Meanwhile, the crucial India-Pakistan clash could take place on October 14 instead of the 15th of the same month.
Akram also talked about the Indian cricket team saying that there is always extra pressure on the hosts. He praised Rohit Sharma’s men saying they also have good spinners.
“Of course… India have Mohammed Shami, who is very impressive and is bowling like a dream, but Bumrah needs to remain fit. I don’t know what his situation is in terms of fitness but if he is fine, it will make a huge difference," said Akram.
The 57-year-old continued, “Besides, they have really good spinners and all-rounders — Jadeja, Ashwin — let’s see who plays. There have been some really good players coming from India but there are certain disadvantages of home ground."
“In 2011, India won but there is always an extra added pressure. Same with Pakistan. If they were the hosts, the pressure would be on them. Vice-versa," he added.