India Vs Pakistan World Cup 2023 Match Likely To Be Re-Scheduled, Officials Confirm No Change In Venue

The officials in Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and International Cricket Council (ICC) have confirmed that the venue for the India vs. Pakistan match will not change, according to a report from the Hindustan Times.

The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in the ICC World Cup 2023 is expected to be re-scheduled to 14 October instead of 15 October.

The clash will still take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is the world's highest-capacity stadium.

However, it is worth noting that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has previously requested venue changes for ICC events in India, as they did during the 2016 T20 World Cup.

The PCB is expected to make a formal announcement on Thursday (3 August), pending approval from the top-level committee formed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Once the approval is granted, the PCB will be able to confidently send their team to India for the ICC event beginning on 5 October.

It is rumoured that the PCB may request to visit all the venues in India where they are scheduled to play, and they might establish a special security unit for this purpose.

The re-scheduling of the India vs Pakistan match will also result in a change of date for Pakistan's match against Sri Lanka on 12 October, in Hyderabad.

It is likely that this match will be played on 10 October, to allow for sufficient rest between the two games.

If the same reasoning is applied, Pakistan's match against the Netherlands on 6 October, at the same venue in Hyderabad, could also be moved forward by a day or two.

This decision was made to ensure that security arrangements could be properly implemented, considering the significance and potential challenges of the festival.

The ICC and BCCI have approached the PCB to re-schedule two of its group matches, including the one against India in Ahmedabad.

It is likely that a couple of Pakistan matches will be re-scheduled in the World Cup 2023, but they are not the only games that may be affected.

When the ICC announces a revised version of the ODI World Cup fixtures, there will be more changes than just the re-scheduling of Pakistan's group matches.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently confirmed that other member boards have also requested tweaks to their schedules, indicating that a few matches for those teams may also be re-scheduled.

The World Cup is set to kick off with a match between last edition's finalists, England and New Zealand, on 5 October in Ahmedabad. Host India will begin its journey, against Australia three days later on 8 October at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The semi-finals of the tournament are scheduled to be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 15 November and at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 16 November.

The final match will take place in Ahmedabad on 19 November. These dates for the knockout matches will remain unchanged.

However, there is a condition — if India qualifies for the semi-final, they will play in Mumbai, unless they are up against Pakistan, in which case the semi-final between India and Pakistan will be held in Kolkata.

Tickets for the group stage matches of the World Cup are expected to go on sale in the second week of this month.