The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Saturday that it will announce the schedule for this year’s World Cup in India on Tuesday, June 27, in Mumbai.
The tournament is expected to start in less than four months; however, the venues and fixtures remain unconfirmed. It must be noted that the schedule for the last two World Cups were announced more than a year in advance.
ESPNcricinfo reported in March this year that the cricket tournament is likely to start in October and end in November.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s delayed approval of the draft fixture list was one of the reasons behind the delay in the schedule.
Najam Sethi, who recently stepped down as chairman of the PCB Management Committee, had said on Monday that "we have written to the ICC that we can't give approval or disapproval to this [World Cup schedule]. It's our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it's their government that decides when they go to play."
The PCB had also requested the ICC to change the venue of their matches against Australia and Afghanistan during this year’s World Cup in India.
Pakistan had asked ICC to swap venues of the aforementioned matches since it would make them “favourites”. The tentative schedule has them playing Australia in Bengaluru and Afghanistan in Chennai.
Usually, venues at ICC events are only changed when there is a security threat.
"Australia in Bengaluru and Afghanistan in Chennai are the two which we should look to get changed as much as possible," the PCB's internal note said. "Ideally, we can switch these around. Australia in Chennai and Afghanistan in Bengaluru would make us obvious favourites in both matches."
Pakistan's tentative World Cup schedule
October 6 - vs Qualifier in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Qualifier 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 5 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata