R Ashwin Has A Message For PCB Requesting To Swap WC Venues

As the official announcement regarding the request and the World Cup schedule remains pending, Ashwin has expressed his views.

The eagerly anticipated release of the official schedule for the 2023 World Cup is still pending as the International Cricket Council (ICC) awaits confirmation from Pakistan regarding their participation in the tournament, scheduled to take place in India later this year.

Amid all the delays, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a rather peculiar request to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), seeking a change in venue for two of their World Cup matches. However, no official announcement has been made yet regarding this request or the World Cup schedule. However, Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced his opinion on Pakistan's appeal.

As per the draft of the initial schedule, which was subsequently shared with all participating nations, Pakistan was slated to face Australia at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 20, followed by a match against Afghanistan three days later at Chennai's Chidambaram Stadium. However, the PCB has expressed its desire to switch the venues for these two matches. While the board has not provided any specific reasons for this request, reports indicate that Pakistan wants to ensure they are considered the favourites in both games.

Ashwin does not think ICC will take request seriously

Reacting to this unusual appeal, Ashwin, in a recent episode of his YouTube channel, shared his views on the matter. He expressed doubts regarding the ICC's willingness to entertain the request, given the nature of the rationale behind it. Ashwin suggested that if Pakistan had cited security concerns, the venues might have been swapped, similar to the situation during the 2016 T20 World Cup when the match between India and Pakistan, originally scheduled in Dharamsala, was moved to Kolkata.

"Pakistan, in their request letter itself, have mentioned that conditions will favour Afghanistan in Chennai. So, by changing venues, it plays into an advantage for Pakistan. So, I highly doubt that ICC will heed to this request. Maybe if Pakistan have given some valid security reasons, then it might be shifted. Another important thing. Pakistan’s interesting request to switch venues. The fixture now is, Pakistan playing Australia in Bangalore and Afghanistan in Chennai. They want the venues interchanged,” Ashwin said in his video.

Ashwin went on to say that ICC would only consider such requests on grounds of security. He cited the example of the 2016 T20 World Cup, where the India-Pakistan match was originally scheduled in Dharamsala but was relocated to Kolkata due to security reasons.

The official announcement regarding the World Cup schedule is expected to be made by the ICC on June 27, marking exactly 100 days until the tournament commences.