The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to withdraw from the 2023 ODI World Cup if India does not play in the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan later this year.
The PCB’s warning comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that it would prefer to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue. The BCCI’s decision is based on security concerns, as India has not played a bilateral series in Pakistan since 2008.
The PCB has said that it is “deeply disappointed” by the BCCI’s decision, and that it will “seriously consider” withdrawing from the World Cup if India does not play in the Asia Cup.
“We are committed to hosting the Asia Cup in Pakistan,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in a statement. “But if India does not play, it will be a huge financial loss for us, and we will have to seriously consider our participation in the World Cup.”
The ICC has said that it is “confident” that Pakistan and India will both play in the World Cup. However, the PCB’s threat to withdraw has raised the possibility of a major diplomatic row between the two countries.
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The 2023 ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in India from October 5 to November 28. It will be the first time that India has hosted the World Cup since 2011.
The 2023 Asia Cup has been mired in political controversy since its inception. India has refused to send its team to Pakistan, where the tournament was originally scheduled to be held, due to the ongoing tensions between the two countries. This has led to a number of proposals, including holding the tournament in a neutral venue or splitting it between Pakistan and another country. However, no solution has yet been reached, and the future of the tournament remains uncertain.
The political tensions between India and Pakistan have a long history, and they have often spilled over into the realm of sport. In 2012, for example, India refused to play a bilateral series against Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. And in 2019, Pakistan pulled out of a scheduled tour of India after the Pulwama terrorist attack.
It remains to be seen whether India will eventually agree to play in the Asia Cup in Pakistan. However, the PCB’s threat to withdraw from the World Cup has certainly put the BCCI under pressure.