Cricket World Cup: Pakistan-India match likely to be rescheduled

With barely three months left for the start of the ODI Cricket World Cup, the Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that the tournament will be rescheduled and the thorn between Pakistan and India on October 15 in Ahmedabad. The competition may also be rescheduled.

The World Cup schedule is usually announced a year before the start of the event, but the matches for the tournament, which starts on October 5 in India, were announced last month.

This extraordinary delay has caused difficulties for cricket fans who plan to travel to India for the tournament.

And now Indian Board Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that the schedule announced last month is also not final.

Jay Shah told reporters on Thursday: ‘Two or three boards have written to us asking for a change in the schedule based on logistical challenges.’

“There are some matches that are only two days apart, so it will be difficult for those teams to play and then travel the next day,” he added.

Jay Shah, referring to the International Cricket Council (ICC), said: ‘We are working with the ICC and we should be able to clarify it in two or three days.’

Organizers are yet to announce when and where fans can buy tickets, while an ICC spokesperson said it would be up to the BCCI to decide.

According to media reports, the match scheduled between Pakistan and India on October 15 in Ahmedabad may also be affected as a Hindu festival is to be celebrated in the state of Gujarat on that day and adequate security arrangements by the police will not be possible.

Due to political tensions between India and Pakistan, there is a deadlock in bilateral cricket with the two rivals facing each other only in ICC or ACC tournaments.

Pakistan have said they will need government permission to travel to India for the World Cup, although the ICC is hopeful of their participation.

India refused to participate in the Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan this year, after which the tournament will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka under a hybrid model where India will play all its matches in Sri Lanka.