PCB Denies Talks Of Neutral Venue For Pakistan Matches In 2023 ODI World Cup

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) clarified that there have been no discussions on a neutral venue for the Pakistan cricket team for its matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. However, the PCB confirmed that the position taken by its chairman, Najam Sethi, and the management committee over holding India's matches at a neutral venue for the Asia Cup 2023 instead of Pakistan is still under discussion.

Sethi briefed the media on the hybrid model he had presented to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officials for the Asia Cup to end the impasse that had been created following the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to not send its team to Pakistan. The proposal, which is to play India's matches at a neutral venue and the rest in Pakistan, is under discussion within the ACC. The official statement from the PCB referred to the media talk in Rawalpindi/Islamabad.

The statement also mentioned that the matter of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, scheduled in October, has not been mooted or discussed at any ICC forum so far. The PCB clarified that it is disappointed with the inaccurate reports doing the rounds in various media outlets regarding neutral venues for Pakistan's games in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The PCB accused a leading English-language newspaper of misquoting, misinterpreting, and misrepresenting Sethi's comments and giving the impression that the PCB's hybrid model was presented and discussed at the ICC, which is factually incorrect.

The PCB stated that at this stage, it is only in discussions with the ACC over the hosting of the Asia Cup, and no discussions regarding the World Cup have taken place with the ICC. However, this is not to say that the hybrid model will not be advocated at the proper ICC forum at the right time. The PCB aims to clarify the matter and make sure that the correct information is shared with the public.