Pakistan’s participation in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has now been confirmed after getting a green signal from the Government of Pakistan.
"Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics. It has, therefore, decided to send its Cricket Team to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.
"Pakistan believes that the state of bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of fulfilling its international sports-related obligations.
"Pakistan’s decision shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-à-vis India’s intransigent attitude, as the latter had refused to send its Cricket Team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concerns over security for the national team in India.
"Pakistan, however, has deep concerns about the security of its Cricket Team. We are conveying these concerns to the International Cricket Council and the Indian authorities. We expect that full safety and security of Pakistan Cricket Team will be ensured during its visit to India," the press release concluded.
Pakistan will kick off their World Cup campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Here is Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 - vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 15 - vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 - vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 - vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 - vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 - vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures and will begin at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.