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regular-article-logo Sunday, 05 May 2024

Pakistan ministry pads up to assess concerns regarding 50-overs World Cup in India

Tournament will begin on October 5, PCB expressed unwillingness to play match in Gujarat

Reuters Islamabad Published 24.06.23, 04:59 AM
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s minister of foreign affairs, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Panaji, Goa, last month

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s minister of foreign affairs, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Panaji, Goa, last month PTI

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it is “evaluating all aspects” of the country’s participation in this year’s 50-overs World Cup in India with bilateral cricket stalled between the South Asian neighbours due to soured political relations.

The two countries have played each other only in multi-team events at neutral venues over the last decade and doubts remain over Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup in October-November.

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Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson, said they were of the view that “politics should not be mixed with sports”. “India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing,” Baloch said in Islamabad on Thursday.

“We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup, including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers and we will offer our views to PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) in due course.”

Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was among the foreign ministers who travelled to India’s Goa last month for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, becoming the first senior Pakistani leader to visit India in nine years.

Though the dates and venues for the World Cup are yet to be officially confirmed, the draft schedule was released a few days ago. The PCB then had written to the ICC that their approval depended on their government’s decision on the matter.

According to the draft schedule, the World Cup will begin on October 5, with the India-Pakistan group league fixture scheduled 10 days later in Ahmedabad. The PCB has expressed unwillingness to play the match in Gujarat.

India has already ruled out travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which will begin on August 31. The tournament will now be hosted in a ‘hybrid model’ with four matches held in Pakistan and the remaining nine in Sri Lanka.

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