Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi, while talking about the continuous demand for schedule changes in the World Cup, said that the BCCI should have taken his advice before preparing the schedule.
The schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was unveiled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a hundred days before the tournament’s commencement. Recently, the BCCI made modifications to the original schedule to accommodate requests from state authorities and full ICC members.
However, just a few days ago, the Hyderabad Cricket Association authorities voiced the need for additional adjustments. They raised concerns related to security and logistics since they are set to host consecutive matches on October 9 and 10. Consequently, they requested further changes to the schedule.
In the midst of these ongoing developments, Najam Sethi, the former chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), strongly criticized the BCCI’s actions.
During a conversation regarding ongoing requests for adjustments to the World Cup schedule, ex-chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi, suggested that the BCCI would have benefited from hearing his suggestions before finalizing the calendar.
Najam Sethi tweeted, “BCCI should have taken my advice re Pakistan playing their WC game in a neutral country. They are now in a mess with schedule tweaks being proposed every few days.”
In addition to India vs Pakistan match, nine additional games were rearranged, and this adjustment in the schedule particularly favored the Pakistan cricket team.
Earlier on the day, a Hyderabad Cricket Association official told PTI, “I can’t say it would be changed for sure because back-to-back games are not ideal. I mean, if they (BCCI) are reconsidering, that will be well. We will have to work with the agencies. Anyone would want a day in between two World Cup games. We are still engaging with security agencies to see if this is possible or not. At the same time, we are also keeping the BCCI on loop.”
Not easy to change the World Cup 2023 schedule, and it’s unlikely to happen: Rajiv Shukla
Rajiv Shukla, the Vice President of BCCI, has conveyed that altering the schedule seems improbable at this juncture, given the tournament is just a few weeks away.
Rajiv Shukla said, “I am in charge of the Hyderabad venue for the World Cup. If there will be any issues or anything. I will try to get it resolved. It is not easy to change the World Cup schedule, and it’s unlikely to happen. Only the BCCI can’t change schedules, teams, or the ICC, all involved in the process.”
Hyderabad will be hosting the three main event games of the World Cup 2023 along with the warm-up matches.
