ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan agrees to revised schedule; stage set for IND vs PAK clash on October 14

Pakistan has agreed to a change in the schedule for the 2023 ODI World Cup, resulting in their match against India being played on October 14 instead of the initially scheduled date of October 15 as per the original ICC schedule. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has consented to the alteration, with the match still set to take place in Ahmedabad.

The rescheduling of the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash has also affected Pakistan's preceding fixture against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. The venue remains unchanged, but the match will now be played on October 10 instead of October 12, allowing Pakistan sufficient time between the two matches.

The decision to change the schedule was prompted by concerns about security on the original date, which coincided with the first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri. Local police raised apprehensions regarding the feasibility of providing adequate security on that day, prompting the ICC to write to the PCB regarding the changes, to which the PCB agreed.

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BCCI Secretary Jay Shah clarified that the clash with Navaratri was not the sole reason for the change, as several Full Member countries had requested adjustments to the World Cup schedule, leading to multiple tweaks being made.

The rescheduling of the India-Pakistan match on October 14 will likely have repercussions on other games and teams. With October 14 already being a double-header featuring matches between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Chennai and Afghanistan and England in Delhi, the latter game may be affected, potentially being played a day earlier on October 13.

These schedule changes come amidst significant delays in releasing the original schedule for the ODI World Cup, which is now just two months away. The fixtures were finally made public by the BCCI and the ICC at the end of June, only 100 days before the tournament's commencement. In contrast, the schedules for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were released more than a year in advance.

The ODI World Cup is slated to begin on October 5, with the reigning champions England facing New Zealand in Ahmedabad. However, the ICC and the BCCI have yet to announce when match tickets will go on sale, adding to the anticipation surrounding this prestigious cricketing event.

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