According to the local police, it will be impossible to provide proper security for the two matches that are scheduled for October 9 and 10, notably the Pak-SL encounter.
There has been yet another request for a revision to the timetable, which has already been altered once since the much-delayed initial release, with less than a week till the start of ticket sales for the 50-over World Cup.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now received a letter from the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) requesting a break between two matches that would now be played on consecutive days. The New Zealand-Netherlands game will take place on October 9 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, with the Pakistan-Sri Lanka encounter slated for the following day. The latter match was originally planned for October 12, but it was moved up a day to give Pakistan adequate time to recover from their encounter with India. Pakistan and the Netherlands will play in Hyderabad on October 6.
Concerns about ensuring security for back-to-back games, particularly the Pakistan game, have been expressed by Hyderabad Police.
The original schedule for the World Cup, which would be held in India from October 5 to November 19, was made public 100 days before the event. The final itineraries for the two 50-over World Cups held previously (in Australia and New Zealand in 2015 and the United Kingdom in 2019) were made public more than a year in advance of the competitions.
With up to nine games being delayed, the original calendar for the 2023 World Cup has already undergone a significant modification. The eagerly anticipated India-Pakistan matchup was originally scheduled for October 15 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the first day of the Navratri holiday, which is widely observed in Gujarat. The game had to be moved up by a day because of the conflicting dates.
Additionally, the Pakistan-England game had previously been planned to take place in Kolkata on November 12—the same day as Kali Puja, a significant Bengali festival. This match is currently scheduled for November 11.
In order to fill the gaps caused by these two changes, a number of other games had to be shifted. For instance, a modification was made since there were three matches on the day the India-Pakistan match was rescheduled to, October 14. In order to allow for travel, rest, and training between games, adjustments were also needed to ensure that teams had a fair gap between encounters.
Why the HCA took so long to request a change of dates is unknown. However, The Indian Express believes that it was caught off guard by the amended timetable and that none of the BCCI bosses or staff members talked to the HCA representatives about the shift in dates.
Hyderabad Police informed the HCA that they would be unable to manage two consecutive games and the necessary security measures, particularly for the Pakistan game. A huge number of police officers will be stationed at the hotel where the Pakistani team will be staying, and approximately 3,000 police officers will be deployed for one game. According to reports, the police have notified HCA that if the other game—New Zealand vs. Netherlands—is played on the scheduled day, they won’t be able to provide sufficient protection for the Pakistan game.
When tickets for the World Cup start going on sale on August 25 in seven phases, it is unclear if the Indian board would change their dates at the last minute. Just 10 days ago, nine of the 45 league games saw changes. Now that the tournament is almost here, it is unclear if there will be any additional changes.
Fans who wish to attend games in the stadium may experience significant inconvenience as a result of the schedule announcement delays, modifications, and the delayed start of ticket sales. Even more people who seek to immigrate from overseas will be impacted. As the event draws nearer, airfares and accommodation rates are predicted to increase significantly, leaving people who want to attend the World Cup at the various venues with a significant financial hole.
