Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif forms committee to assess team's participation in 2023 ODI World Cup

Shahbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday announced that a high level committee consisting of ministers including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has been setup to decide on the country’s participation in the ODI World Cup in India later this year.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the committee will be responsible for making recommendations regarding Pakistan cricket team’s travel to India.

Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had written to the country’s government, as they sought advice on their players travelling to India for the showpiece event. The ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place from 5 October to 19 November.

Pakistan are scheduled to play their matches in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai with their marquee clash against India to be played on 15 October at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

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According to the report, the committee would discuss on if the team would in fact travel to Ahmedabad for their clash against India, while the other four venues will also be discussed.

Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and law and justice minister Azam Nazeer Tarar are some of the other prominent names in the committee.

Pakistan are slated to begin their World Cup campaign against Netherlands in Hyderabad on 6 October, before taking on Sri Lanka at the same venue six days later.

India, meanwhile, had earlier refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup later this year, and as a result, it was announced that the continental tournament would be held in a hybrid model, with matches taking place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Asia Cup, also featuring Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal is scheduled to run from 31 August to 17 September, with 13 matches throughout the tournament.