In November 2022, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja threatened that if Team India doesn’t travel to Pakistan to play Asia Cup, Pakistan will also not travel to India to play Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2023. A similar kind of statement was given by his successor Najam Sethi in June 2023. Logically Pakistan not playing CWC is not possible because of the commitments and its impression. But just in case, if that happens, then PCB will have to suffer a lot. So let us go through all those possibilities if Pakistan finally doesn’t travel to India to play the World Cup 2023.
Pakistan not playing CWC 2023 – What can be the repercussions?
If Zaka Ashraf, the current PCB chairman, stands with what first Ramiz Raja said and then repeated by Najam Sethi, then the PCB will have to face the following consequences.
- Scotland will qualify for the CWC 2023: If PCB finally decides that its team will not travel to play the World Cup 2023, then Scotland is currently standing at No. 3 after the ICC Qualifiers tournament will replace Pakistan as the first two teams, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have already qualified.
- ICC will put a considerable penalty on PCB: The amount will be anything, but one must understand it will be huge. PCB and Pakistan as a nation are already in a significant financial lurch and will not be able to pay, and that is for sure. If this happens, it will not be easy for the PCB to regain financial steadiness.
- PCB will be banned for a certain number of years by ICC: ICC and its members will then decide for how many years Pakistan will not be playing any cricket. So for that many years, we will not be able to see Pakistan playing a single Test match, ODI or T20I.
- Pakistani players will not be able to play in any international cricket leagues: If PCB is barred from playing official cricket, then its players or in other words, Pakistani cricketers, will also be not able to play county cricket or any T20 league across the globe as all these leagues are directly attached to the various cricket boards of different nations and they are attached with the ICC.
- Pakistan’s right to host Champions Trophy 2024 will be withdrawn: It is obvious that if ICC takes the steps mentioned above, then automatically, Pakistan will not be able to host the Champions Trophy 2024 as it will be in suspended mode during that period. Not only that but after this, it will not be easy for the PCB to claim the right to host any ICC tournament soon.
In short, if Pakistan not playing CWC happens, then there is plenty to lose for the PCB then to gain. The time is running out for the Pakistan Cricket Board to decide on this issue because Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner, and its schedule is already out. One can only hope that sanity will finally prevail and we will be able to see India Vs Pakistan at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on the 15th of October 2023.
eChhapu
