There comes a drastic move from BCCI! The much-anticipated IND vs PAK clash of ODI World Cup 2023 could be rescheduled. The Board of Control of Cricket in India is considering moving the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan fixture from October 15 to October 14. However, the venue of the fixture will remain the same. The reason for the change in venue is that October 15 is the first day of the Hindu festival Navratri & the local police told BCCI that it would be difficult for them to take care of security during the match on the festival day.
As per the reports, the BCCI has updated ICC about the issue but no decision on the issue has been taken yet. The BCCI will have a meeting with all the State associations that are hosting the World Cup fixtures on July 27 before a final decision is made.
If IND vs PAK fixture gets shifted then what will be the repercussions?
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It will turn into Tripleheader in a Single Day
As per the announced ODI World Cup 2023 schedule, October 14 is already a double-header. England is slated to take on Afghanistan in a day fixture in Delhi while New Zealand will play Bangladesh in a day & night fixture in Chennai. Thus shifting India vs Pakistan fixture on October 14 will make it a triple header.
This will further reduce the hype around the IND vs PAK fixture as four big teams of World Cricket are already beginning their ODI World Cup 2023 Campaign on the same day. It will divide the attention of fans & the much-anticipated fixture will not receive the kind of hype it used to get over the years.
All these years India vs Pakistan fixture has always been a single fixture keeping in mind the hype & craze these fixtures bring it along… If the IND vs PAK clash will be played on October 14 then it will significantly reduce fans excitement & result in the diversion of attention. So looking at the nature of this age-old rivalry the much-anticipated fixture should be slated on a single day without any other fixture lined up.
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Fans will become frustrated with this Last Minute Changes
Though ICC & BCCI haven’t opened the sale of tickets for ODI World Cup 2023 fixtures, die-hard cricket fans have already booked their flights & hotels in Ahmedabad for the fixture. As the fans don’t want to miss the high-octane fixture by keeping the bookings on hold.
If the mega IND vs PAK clash gets shifted to 14th October then they will suffer huge losses. As the cancellation of flight & hotel bookings can result in the loss of a huge amount of money they have spent. In addition to it, they will miss the fixture as well which will again be a huge loss for them. So in all shifting of India- Pakistan fixture would be a complete loss-loss situation for the fans.
As per a report in Money Control, cricket-obsessed fans were also thinking of booking hospital rooms as an alternative they don’t get hotel bookings. A reputed doctor confirmed the report to Ahmedabad Mirror by saying that fans were asking for a full body check-up & an overnight stay so that both of their purposes, saving money on lodging & getting their body checkup done can be fulfilled.
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Pakistan will have just one day gap to prepare for IND vs PAK match
As per the original schedule of the ODI World Cup 2023, India will open their campaign on October 8 against Australia in Chennai. While they will take on Afghanistan on October 11 in Delhi. If the IND vs PAK fixture gets shifted to October 14 then they will have just two days time to prepare for the fixture.
In the case of Pakistan. They will play Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6 followed by their second fixture against Sri Lanka on October 12 at the same venue. This means they will get just one day to prepare for the much anticipated IND vs PAK fixture. It will become hectic for Pakistan as after facing Australia in Hyderabad on October 12 they will travel to Ahmadabad for their fixture against India on 14th October. The rescheduling will not work in Pakistan’s favor as one day gap will be covered in travelling leaving them with no proper time to prepare for the much-anticipated fixture.
Concerns continue to surround over the smooth commencement of the ODI World Cup 2023
Initially, there was a delay in releasing the Schedule of ODI World Cup 2023. This is because Pakistan was not willing to play the fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After the issues were resolved the Schedule of the marquee event was released.
Issues don’t end here as it’s almost a month after the schedule has been released but still, BCCI has not given any information about the sale of tickets. And now such changes in the schedule will further act as an obstacle in the smooth commencement of the tournament.
What do you think, is re-scheduling IND vs PAK fixture a good idea? Share with us your views in the comments section below! We would love to know your opinions on it!
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