Pakistan 'Not Comfortable' With ODI World Cup 2023 Venues For Team's Matches: Report

The Pakistan cricket team is not "comfortable" playing some of the participating teams at specific venues during the ODI World Cup in India, including Afghanistan in Chennai and Australia in Bengaluru. The deadlock over the Asia Cup staging has ended and now Pakistan are expected to travel to India for the World Cup in October-November. The much-awaited contest between India and Pakistan is likely to place in Ahmedabad on October 15.

Before announcing the World Cup schedule, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked members boards including the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for suggestions on the proposed itinerary.

A reliable source in the PCB told PTI that the board's data, analytics and team strategy experts have been given the task of approving the venues where the ICC and BCCI have tentatively scheduled Pakistan's matches for the 50-over mega event.

“The PCB sent the tentative itinerary for the team to the selectors/experts who apparently are not comfortable with some of the Pakistan team's scheduled matches and venues like they have reservations on Pakistan playing Afghanistan in Chennai and Australia at Bengaluru,” the source said.

Playing Afghanistan in spin-friendly Chennai would mean facing the likes of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, who did well for Gujarat Titans in the 2023 Indian Premier League.

Conditions in Bengaluru are usually batting friendly and it is hard to understand why Pakistan would have reservations playing Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The PCB source said the selectors, who are also part of the team management, has advised the board not to accept Chennai as the venue for the match against Afghanistan as it was historically and statistically a venue which favoured spinners.

“The