Shahid Afridi's bold statement on the India-Pakistan World Cup venue
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has now opened up on the highly contentious matter.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) recently announced that the next edition of the Asia Cup will be hosted in a hybrid model, which was originally proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The Asia Cup logjam may now have been broken but uncertainty still seems to be looming large over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, scheduled to be played in India later this year. Despite PCB’s hybrid model being accepted by ACC, it is still not clear whether Pakistan will travel to its neighbouring nation to take part in the 50-over World Cup. It is understood that PCB was reluctant after Ahmedabad’s name started doing the rounds as a potential venue for the high-voltage India-Pakistan clash. Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has now opened up on the highly contentious matter. Taking a dig at the cricket board, the former all-rounder slammed PCB’s denial to play at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
What did Shahid Afridi say?
“Why are they declining to play on Ahmedabad pitches? Does it hurl fire or is it haunted? Go and play - go, play and win. If these are the foreseen challenges, then the only way to overcome them is through a comprehensive victory. What matters at the end of the day is the Pakistan team's win. The crux only and only lies in there. Take this rather positively. If they [India] are comfortable there, you should go, pull a victory in front of packed Indian crowd and show them what you got," Shahid Afridi reportedly said while speaking on Samaa TV.
World Cup 2023: India vs Pakistan possible venue
According to multiple reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent a final draft of the World Cup schedule. The electrifying India-Pakistan World Cup fixture will reportedly take place on October 15. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has, however, not announced the official schedule yet.
India and Pakistan, the two arch-rivals, had last faced at a 50-over World Cup in 2019. The rain-curtailed game, which took place in Manchester, ended in India’s favour. Chasing a revised target of 302 in 40 overs, Pakistan could only manage to reach 212. Rohit Sharma was adjudged Man of the Match in that fixture for pulling off a sublime knock of 140.