There seems to be no end to this ongoing India vs Pakistan saga. In the latest, Ehsaan Mazari, Pakistan’s minister responsible for sports, has stated that his nation will not travel to India for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India if BCCI refuses to cross the border for the Asia Cup 2023.
Mazari stated in an interview with The Indian Express that “My personal opinion, since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comes under my ministry, is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
The ICC had previously asked Pakistan to visit India for the World Cup. “Pakistan have signed a participation agreement to compete and we expect them to be there and have had no indications to the contrary,” stated an ICC statement. “We recognise the fact that each member is required to adhere by the laws and regulations of their home nation. However, Pakistan will undoubtedly travel to India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup.
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The statement by Mazari was made a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a well-known commission to investigate the country’s participation in the ODI World Cup that India is hosting in October-November.
Sharing the committee’s mandate, Mazari stated, “I am one of the 11 ministers who will serve on the committee, which will be led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The PM, who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief, will hear our discussion of the problem and receive our recommendations. Ultimately, the PM will decide.”
According to Mazari, who oversees the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, which includes sports, the PM will likely receive the report from the Bhutto-led group sometime next week. At that time, Zaka Asharf, the new PCB chief, will also be in South Africa for a significant International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting. Discussions about the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup are anticipated to take place while Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), is also present in Durban for the meeting.
Although the Asia Cup schedule has not yet been released, it is known that Pakistan and Sri Lanka will co-host the competition, according to the ACC. All of India’s games are anticipated to be played in Sri Lanka. Mazari, however, declared that he was opposed to this “hybrid model”.
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