Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi slammed BCCI for another potential change in the ICC World Cup schedule following the security concerns in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad police have raised their concern regarding the security gap between the two World Cup games on two days in the city.
The much-anticipated ICC ODI World Cup is likely to undergo another change after the revised schedule of the ICC event was announced in recent times. Earlier, a few games including the India-Pakistan game was rescheduled due to the first day of Navratri, a grand festival celebrated with mass participation across Gujarat.
Taking his Social media account, Najam Sethi criticized BCCI for messing up with the schedule of the World Cup games and recalled his advice of Pakistan play their games in a neutral venue.
“@BCCI should have taken my advice re @TheRealPCB playing their WC games in a neutral country 🙂 They are now in a mess with schedule tweaks being proposed every few days!” Najam Sethi tweeted.
The high octane is scheduled to begin on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world, is also set to host the final, scheduled to take place on November 19.
According to various reports, Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has formally informed the Board For Cricket Control in India (BCCI) regarding the difficulty to host back-to-back games due to security concerns in the city.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla stated in an official statement regarding the further change in the World Cup, as he said that a schedule change is unlikely to happen as he will try to ensure the smooth conduct of the two games in Hyderabad.
“I am in charge of the Hyderabad venue for WC. If there will be any issue or anything, will try to get it resolved. It is not easy to change the World Cup schedule and it’s unlikely to happen. Only BCCI can’t change schedule, teams, ICC, all involved,” Rajeev Shukla said.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association and security officials are concerned about the high-profile game as thousands of fans across the world are expected to travel to Hyderabad to spectacle the much-anticipated game in the country.
The Rajiv International Stadium is scheduled to host the game between New Zealand and the Netherlands on October 9, followed by the match between two Asian giants Pakistan and Sri Lanka on the next day. The games are likely to be moved to another day, as ICC and BCCI will give importance to the safety of the players.