Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 in India continues to be a mystery. While it was expected that the Men in Green would get the green light to play in the competition following the Asian Cricket Council’s decision to accept the hybrid model, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still not sure about it.
The reason behind it is that the final call will not be made by PCB but the Pakistan government. The bilateral ties between India and Pakistan are at an all time low due to political reasons and cricket board of both the countries need permission from their respective governments to play against each other. India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2012/13 season.
Pakistan government on ICC World Cup 2023:
As of now, nothing is clear as far as Pakistan’s participation in ICC World Cup 2023 is concerned. And recently, Pakistan’s foreign office has confirmed it is evaluating all aspects of the team’s participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup.
“We have received the 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 that is due to take place on the 4th of July,” a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days,” added the spokesperson.
Speaking further, the spokesperson hinted that Pakistan government are unlikely to deny the Men in Green the opportunity to play the World Cup. The spokesperson expressed disappointment over India’s policy of not playing against Pakistan.
“Regarding cricket, Pakistan is of the view that politics should not be mixed with sports. India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing. 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 in due course,” stated the spokesperson.
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