Pakistan to seek government clearance before confirming World Cup 2023 participation in India - Reports

Pakistan to play against India on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stated that it will need to obtain clearance from the government before confirming its participation in the World Cup 2023 which is to be played in India from October 5 onwards.

This comes after the International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled the schedule and fixtures for the World Cup 2023 in India, which sees Pakistan opening its tournament against Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad.

Their big-ticket clash against India will be played in Ahmedabad on October 15, which is also Men in Green skipper Babar Azam’s 29th birthday.

Apart from this, they will play Qualifier 2 on October 12. Pakistan's other matches are scheduled for October 20 (against Australia in Bengaluru), October 23 (against Afghanistan in Chennai), October 27 (against South Africa in Chennai), October 31 (against Bangladesh in Kolkata), November 4 (against New Zealand in Bengaluru), and November 12 (against England in Kolkata).

The BCCI and ICC have made it clear that if Pakistan qualifies for the semifinals, their match will be held in Kolkata, even if their opponents were to be India, who have been designated Mumbai as a venue if they make it into the knockouts.

PCB confirms it requires a green signal from the Pakistan government for World Cup 2023 in India

Meanwhile, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that before confirming its participation in the World Cup, it must receive government approval. Following the schedule announcement in Mumbai on Tuesday, this comment was given. It appears that the World Cup plan did not take the PCB's demands and concerns into consideration.

"The PCB requires clearance from the Government of Pakistan for any tour to India, including the match venues," said a spokesman for the Pakistan board said.

"We are in communication with our government to seek guidance, and once we receive a response from them, we will update the Event Authority (ICC). This stance aligns with what we communicated to the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared the draft schedule with us and sought our feedback," added the spokesman.

Insiders at the ICC and BCCI have however expressed their confidence that the Pakistani team will visit India.

One of PCB's concerns was the game between India and Pakistan being played in Ahmedabad. They had said they would want to play in Bengaluru or Chennai. Additionally, they demanded that the BCCI and ICC, the hosts, change the locations of the games against Afghanistan and Australia that are currently slated for Bengaluru and Chennai, respectively.