ODI World Cup schedule during WTC final, says India’s cricket chief

AHMEDABAD: The dates and venues for this year’s ODI World Cup in India will be revealed around the Test championship final, a top official said Saturday.

It remains unusual that a schedule has not been announced for the 50-over showpiece event expected to be held in October-November. How to accomodate Pakistan remains the main cause of delay.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to work out a plan to play arch-rivals and Asia Cup hosts Pakistan at a neutral venue in September.

Pakistan has threatened to boycott the World Cup in India if the cricketing powerhouse refuse to play the Asia Cup.

India and Australia will face-off for Test cricket’s ultimate prize in the final between June 7-11 at the Oval, which is likely to be the venue of the World Cup announcement.

“The venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will be decided at a press conference during the ICC World Test Championship Final,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement after a meeting on the eve of the Indian Premier League final in Ahmedabad.

“The complete schedule for the tournament will also be revealed,” he said adding that they were looking at all the major cities as venues for the tournament, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.

The fate of the Asia Cup is expected to be decided on the sidelines of the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and holders Gujarat Titans.

Shah, who is also president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has invited the cricket board presidents of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka to the IPL final where they will discuss the tournament details.

“The future of the Asia Cup 2023 will be decided once we have a meeting with the ACC members (Test-playing nations) and the Associate nations,” said Shah.

Cricketing giants and arch-rivals India and Pakistan have not met on home soil in any version of the game since 2012, and only play each other in multinational tournaments on neutral grounds.

The two nations have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and are bitter political rivals.