Pakistan’s Sports Minister, Ehsaan Mazari, recently expressed his view that if India insists on playing their Asia Cup matches at neutral venues, Pakistan might consider adopting the same approach for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
While Pakistan has the hosting rights for the Asia Cup 2023, a hybrid model was agreed upon, with matches scheduled to be played in both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Mazari hinted that Pakistan’s cricket team, known as the Men in Green, could avoid traveling to India for the subsequent ICC event.
During an interview with The Indian Express, Mazari, who oversees the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in his ministry, stated, “My personal opinion is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) released an official statement indicating that the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to take place from August 31 to September 17.
Pakistan will host four matches, while Sri Lanka will host the remaining nine games.
It is noteworthy that India has not visited Pakistan for a cricket tournament since the 50-over Asia Cup in 2008.
Additionally, the two countries have not engaged in a bilateral series since 2012.
Mazari believes that India’s reasons for avoiding tours to Pakistan, particularly regarding security concerns, are baseless.
He argues that other teams, such as New Zealand and England, have visited Pakistan recently and were provided with exceptional security measures, including presidential security.
Furthermore, Mazari highlights that Pakistan successfully organized the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which involved numerous foreign players, without any security issues.
The Sports Minister also emphasizes that there haven’t been any security-related problems when Pakistan has hosted Indian contingents for other sports.
He expresses his confusion regarding the Indian government’s reluctance to send their cricket team to Pakistan, citing examples of Indian baseball and bridge teams that traveled to Islamabad without any incidents.
He further mentions that Pakistan’s football, hockey, and chess teams regularly visit India without facing security concerns.
Looking ahead, Pakistan’s cricket team, led by Babar Azam, is scheduled to commence their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
In conclusion, Ehsaan Mazari, Pakistan’s Sports Minister, has expressed his inclination to demand neutral venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 matches in India if India insists on playing their Asia Cup games at neutral venues.
Mazari believes that India’s security concerns regarding Pakistan are unfounded, citing instances of other teams visiting the country without any incidents.
The upcoming cricket events will shed light on whether Pakistan and India can overcome their differences and engage in sporting contests on each other’s soil.
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