KARACHI: Two matches involving Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India could be rescheduled.
Since the tournament’s most anticipated game, India taking on Pakistan, is on the first day of Navratri, a festival celebrated with mass participation across Gujarat, security agencies have advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to tweak the itinerary.
According to sources, Pakistan could face Sri Lanka on October 10, instead of October 12. Meanwhile, the crucial India-Pakistan clash could take place on October 14 instead of 15th of the same month.
Other matches which includes Australia vs South Africa, England vs Afghanistan and New Zealand vs Bangladesh could also be held a day earlier.
The ICC will announce the revised schedule for the mega event soon.
It must be noted that 10 teams will fight for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
Here is Pakistan's current schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 - vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 15 - vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 - vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 - vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 - vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 - vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata
The day matches which will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.