Shortly after this announcement, PCB made it clear that its participation in the ODI World Cup would be subject to government approval.
Our participation in the World Cup and playing in Ahmedabad on October 15 or in Mumbai if we make it to the semifinals will depend on government permission, said a PCB official.
A PCB official said that the government has not yet given PCB any permission to go to India, and since this is a sensitive issue, the board can only move forward after receiving clear instructions from its government.
We have already informed the ICC that our participation in the tournament or any questions about venues are primarily related to the PCB getting permission from the government to travel to India, the official said. Pakistan has signed an agreement to participate in the tournament and the world governing body 100% expects them to attend and has no indication to the contrary.
All members must abide by the rules and laws of their country and we respect that. But we are confident that Pakistan will be in India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup, an ICC official told PTI. Pakistan last played in India in the 2016 T20 World Cup. The two teams play each other in the ICC and Asian Cup competitions because of tense relations between the two countries.
The ICC’s refusal to grant Pakistan’s request to reschedule the two matches was quite expected, as normally the ICC considers venue issues based on potential security concerns rather than cricketing considerations.
With the election for ICC chairman now postponed until at least July 17, one can only wonder how the Council will react to the announcement of the World Cup schedule.
With the Balochistan High Court ruling on Monday suspending the election for chairman over petitions filed by two former PCB cricket management committee members, confusion now reigns in Pakistani cricket.
With the resignation of Najam Sethi, the Board is headed by interim chairman Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana.
Zaka Ashraf, the nominee for chairman, must get the votes of the Board of Governors to officially take over the key post.