Pakistan will not travel to India for World Cup, declares PCB chairman

Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has declared that Pakistan will not visit India for the ODI World Cup in 2023. According to him, they won't take part in the tournament unless their games are played in a neutral location.

India declined to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which the PCB hopes to host in September 2023, prompting the choice of a neutral site. Sethi stated in an interview with SportsTak that only neutral venues should host games involving the Pakistan team.

"Pakistan will not travel to India for the World Cup, we want our World Cup matches to be played at a neutral venue only,"  PCB chairman told Sports Tak.

The PCB chairman further disclosed that during their meeting in Bahrain earlier this year, the members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which included both India and Pakistan, had discussed the idea of a hybrid model.

"There are no security issues. We can play a couple of matches against India and the rest of the teams' matches can also be played in a neutral venue. We are ready for compromise. All or nothing is nothing is not what we want," he said.

Sethi also criticised the boards of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for changing their minds over having the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The PCB Chairman disclosed that Jay Shah had inquired during an ACC meeting in Bahrain as to whether anyone had a problem touring Pakistan, and that no one at that time had objected.

"BCCI secretary Jay Shah had asked in ACC meeting in Bahrain whether someone has a problem with touring Pakistan and no one said anything."

"If BCCI takes a political stance and doesn't let anyone play in Pakistan, I don't think ACC can run this way," he concluded.