World Cup 2023 saga continues in Pak! As PCB ‘breach’ norms with letter to PM

There seems to be no end to the ongoing WC 2023 saga in Pakistan Cricket. In latest, Islamabad officials are dissatisfied with the letter the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month to request approval from the federal government to participate in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

Authorities assert that by bringing up the issue with board members who were in control at the time, they have circumvented all established procedures.

According to a reliable source of The News, PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Salman Naseer’s letter to PM Shehbaz violated protocol.

Also Read: Asia Cup Schedule delayed again, unhappy PCB chief meets Jay Shah next week

A subordinate department must go through the relevant ministry to get authorization from or inform the highest authority of the situation, when PM’s approval is needed.

A summary of the prime minister’s decision is then moved by the concerned ministry.

But because the PCB wrote the PM directly, this method was ignored.

World Cup 2023 SAGA

According to information obtained by The News, the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry was dissatisfied with PCB’s attitude and raised it with the PCB leadership in a forceful manner.

The sources also claim that Nasser was made aware of the mishap, which will probably result in a host of issues.

“We have taken up the matter with the PCB COO and have conveyed our displeasure. The government rules clearly bar officials from directly communicating with the prime minister.”

“There is a set procedure that was not adopted in this instance. We have communicated our displeasure and will look into what we can do more to this effect,” a leading Ministry official said.

Remembering that the Temporary Management Committee expired on June 27, the PCB was led by former Election Commissioner Ahmed Shahzad Farooq Rana.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) letter

The letter’s main goal—of which copies were also given to the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior—was to obtain official approval for participation in the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be hosted by India.

The PCB also requested guidance from the government on the venues in the letter it submitted on June 27. The ICC has designated five locations for Pakistan’s matches, including Ahmedabad (against India, October 15), Hyderabad (against both qualifiers, October 6 and 12), Bengaluru (against Australia on October 20 and New Zealand on November 5), Chennai (against Afghanistan on October 23 and South Africa on October 27), and Kolkata (against Bangladesh on November 5 and England on November 12).

Pakistan will compete in Kolkata if it advances to the semifinals. On November 15, the championship will be contested in Ahmedabad.

“The method the Government of Pakistan chooses to develop and follow before advising us on the following stages is totally up to it. It will exclusively be up to the government to decide if this calls for sending an advance team to India to assess the sites and confer with the event organisers,” a PCB spokesperson had said.

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