The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have rejected Pakistan’s request to swap venues. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) pulled off a stunning move amid the WC deadlock over venues. It shot a letter to the ICC to swap venues for two matches. The matches in question are Pakistan vs Australia in Bengaluru and Pakistan vs Afghanistan in Chennai. PCB wants to avoid Afghanistan in spin-friendly Chepauk Stadium and Australia in batting-heaven M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, in a joint meeting on Tuesday night, ICC and BCCI officially rejected PCB’s request for not offering valid reason to swap venues.
As per an internal memo in the PCB, obtained by ESPN Cricinfo, the swap in the venue would make Pakistan favourites against the two opponents. “Australia in Bengaluru and Afghanistan in Chennai are the two which we should look to get changed as much as possible. Ideally, we can switch these around. Australia in Chennai and Afghanistan in Bengaluru would make us obvious favourites in both matches,” the note read. Chennai and Bengaluru are considered the safest options for Pakistan, offering the best facilities. Former PCB chief Najam Sethi had also expressed concerns about playing India in Ahmedabad, but that request has not been entertained either. Venue changes have occurred in the past though. In 2016, the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup game had to be moved from Dharamsala to Kolkata due to security reasons. Generally, only security reasons force a venue change. However, it is not the case here. In T20 World Cup 2016, India vs Pakistan match in Dharamshala was moved to Kolkata. But this is rare when a team holds the entire schedule hostage for its own advantage. However, those two aren’t the only games Pakistan want a change in venue for. India vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad, Pakistan vs Bangladesh and Pakistan vs England in Kolkata are also points of concern.
