Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their stubborn stance when it comes to going to India for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 tournament, which begins on October 5 onwards.
After the ICC unveiled the schedule for the World Cup 2023, it saw that none of the PCB’s requests for venue changes were accepted. They are still scheduled to face India in the high-voltage clash in Ahmedabad on October 15.
Also, their requests for swapping venues for their matches against Australia in Bengaluru and against Afghanistan in Chennai were not adhered to and this has resulted in the PCB throwing tantrums about the team's participation in the World Cup.
PCB has now said that the Pakistan team’s participation in the World Cup in India will depend on whether the central government gives them the green signal or not.
Reacting to the same, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has appealed to the PCB to go mellow and not be so adamant about not playing.
He said that Pakistan will benefit if they don't meddle too much and stick to the original schedule. Basit also stressed that he is pretty confident of the Pakistan government giving the green light to the national team to go ahead after all.
"I am hearing on news channels and YouTube that Pakistan may not be willing to play their matches in Ahmedabad and one more venue. Why not? ICC's schedule for the World Cup is a huge advantage for Pakistan. If 1,25,000 come to attend the match in Ahmedabad, the pressure is on India, and not Pakistan. If India was to play the Asia Cup in Pakistan, then the pressure would have been on Pakistan," he said on his YouTube channel.
"I don't know why people can't understand this simple thing. And Afghanistan is a weak team - yes, they have good spinners - but wherever the schedule has been finalized, just play. This is nonsense. I keep hearing that Pakistan may not get the permission. Of course, they will. Boss, it's not some local tournament. It's a bloody World Cup,” he added.
Pakistan has gotten an easy schedule as they play their 9 league games in five venues- Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. This as Basit highlights, is a huge advantage, which he urged the PCB to open their eyes to.
"Now the second part… the advantage which Pakistan has. Normally, each team will be playing two warm-up matches, but in Pakistan's case, they will technically be playing 4 – two practice games and one each against the two qualifying teams – before they face India in Ahmedabad. If Pakistan goes into the India tie on the back of a formidable show against the four teams previously, it will be a huge boost for them and the players," he added.
"Imagine Babar Azam scoring a century or Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah picking a five-wicket haul. Just imagine what it will do to their confidence against India. So it is my heartfelt request. Please play your matches as per the schedule,” he signed off.
Pakistan will play their first two league games in Hyderabad against the two Qualifying teams.
(Hindustan Times inputs)
