ODI World Cup 2023 is set to be an extraordinary tournament as India takes on the role of host, adding to the dynamics of the India vs Pakistan rivalry. The Pakistan Cricket Board has cast doubts on their participation in the ODI World Cup 2023, with former Pakistan batter Javed Miandad stating that if he had the power to make decisions, “he would have never allowed the Pakistan team to travel to India”.
The comments made by Javed Miandad arise as the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control of Cricket (BCCI) are working on organizing the tournament, with the first match likely to be played on 5 October.
In the past, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, and the issue was resolved by deciding that India would play their matches in Sri Lanka.
“Pakistan has been to India in 2012 and even in 2016, now it is the turn of the Indians to come here. If I had to make a decision, I would never go to India to play any match, even the World Cup. We are always ready to play them (India), but they never respond in the same manner,” expressed Javed Miandad.
“Pakistan cricket is bigger… we are still producing quality players. So I don’t think even if we don’t go to India, it will make any difference to us,” he added.
Javed Miandad believes that sports and politics should not be mixed, and that it’s better to cooperate with each other rather than choosing neighbors.
“I always say one can’t choose its neighbors, so it is better to live by cooperating with each other. And I have always said cricket is a sport which brings people closer to each other and can remove misunderstandings and grievances between countries,” he stated.
Furthermore, the Pakistan Cricket Board faced another setback as its chairman Najam Sethi withdrew himself from the race for the next PCB chairman. Sethi began his tenure in December 2022 and it will end on 21 June.
“I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif,” Sethi tweeted. “Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances, I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.”