ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan evaluates participation in ODI World Cup as government approval remains pending

Pakistan's foreign office has confirmed that it is assessing all aspects of the country's participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. This is the first public acknowledgement from the Pakistan government regarding the issue, which has caused a delay in the announcement of the tournament's fixtures by the ICC.

The final decision on Pakistan's involvement in the World Cup rests with their government, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written to the ICC emphasising that the approval for the fixture list must come from the government.

During a media briefing in Islamabad, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch from the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We have received an official invitation from the Indian prime minister to our prime minister for the virtual meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation scheduled for July 4th. Pakistan will be represented at the summit, and we will make an announcement regarding our participation in the World Cup in the coming days."

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Baloch added that Pakistan believes politics should not mix with sports and expressed disappointment in India's policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan. The evaluation of Pakistan's participation in the World Cup includes assessing the security situation for Pakistani cricketers, and their views will be shared with the PCB in due course.

The 2023 World Cup is expected to commence on October 5, with India vs. Pakistan match set for ten days later in Ahmedabad. Pakistan is scheduled to play at five different venues during the league phase.

Due to strained political relations, Pakistan has not toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup. The PCB had previously insisted on clear and public assurance from the Indian government regarding player security, which led to the relocation of the India-Pakistan match from Dharamsala to Kolkata.

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The PCB had also requested the ICC to swap venues for two of their World Cup matches based on an internal assessment. However, the request was denied, and security concerns were not mentioned in the PCB's assessment.

The ICC aims to finalise and release the fixture list to the public by next week after experiencing an unprecedented delay. Pakistan has until then to communicate any concerns they may have to the ICC.