Ehsaan Mazari, Pakistan’s minister responsible for sports, has stated that his nation will pull out of hosting the 2023 World Cup in India if India refuses to cross the border for the Asia Cup.
Mazari stated in an interview with The Indian Express that “My personal opinion, since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comes under my ministry, is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
The announcement was made a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a well-known commission to investigate the country’s participation in the World Cup that India is hosting in October-November. Sharing the committee’s mandate, Mazari stated, “I am one of the 11 ministers who will serve on the committee, which will be led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The PM, who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief, will hear our discussion of the problem and receive our recommendations. Ultimately, the PM will decide.
According to Mazari, who oversees the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, which includes sports, the PM will likely receive the report from the Bhutto-led group sometime next week. At that time, Zaka Asharf, the new PCB chief, will also be in South Africa for a significant International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting. Discussions about the Asia Cup and World Cup are anticipated to take place while Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), is also present in Durban for the meeting.
Although the Asia Cup schedule has not yet been released, it is known that Pakistan and Sri Lanka will co-host the competition, according to the ACC. All of India’s games are anticipated to be played in Sri Lanka. Mazari, however, declared that he was opposed to this “hybrid model”. “Since Pakistan is the host nation, all of the games may be played there. I don’t want a hybrid model; that’s what cricket fans want, he added.
The minister expressed his confusion over India’s unwillingness to play cricket in Pakistan. “Sports enter politics in India. Why the Indian government doesn’t want to send its cricket team here is something I don’t comprehend. A sizable Indian baseball team visited Islamabad previously to play. The bridge team that had visited Pakistan was another. There were more than 60 people there, and I was the event’s main guest. After winning, they left. The football, hockey, and chess teams from Pakistan also visit India, he added.
Mazari responds that “it wasn’t a solid argument” when questioned about India’s long-standing concern over the safety of their cricket players in Pakistan. The England cricket team was in Pakistan prior to the New Zealand squad’s arrival. Presidental security was provided. The local fans earlier gave the Indian squad a warm welcome. Security is a pretext. We also hosted the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which featured a large number of foreign athletes, he added.
Mazari requested that cricket tours between the two nations resume. One of the most popular cricket matches on television. We want cricket to be played in a healthy manner. India should respond favourably, he said.
The ICC had previously asked Pakistan to visit India for the World Cup. “Pakistan have signed a participation agreement to compete and we expect them to be there and have had no indications to the contrary,” stated an ICC statement. “We recognise the fact that each member is required to adhere by the laws and regulations of their home nation. However, Pakistan will undoubtedly travel to India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The minister also addressed the BCCI’s decision to schedule Pakistan’s World Cup match against India in Ahmedabad, which was mentioned by the previous PCB chairman Najam Sethi. Sethi had stated in an interview with this newspaper, “When I heard this statement (India to play Pakistan in Ahmedabad), I smiled and thought to myself, “This is one method to make sure we don’t come to India.
Mazari didn’t voice any such concerns. “I don’t believe Ahmedabad will present a problem. There, Pakistan has previously played. Prior to that, though, India needs to respond favourably. Pakistan should host India. Let’s see what happens now that Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, is in South Africa,” he remarked.
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