Cricket World Cup 2019 tournament director speaks about Pak vs India clash
India are scheduled to face Pakistan in World Cup on June 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester.
LONDON (Web Desk) – Responding to a question regarding Pakistan vs India match during the Cricket World Cup 2019, Tournament Director Steve Elworthy said they are planning everything in preparation for the match to go ahead.
“We have some of the political tensions that are there but we as an organizing committee and as a tournament, we are planning everything in preparation for that game to go ahead and we heard nothing different from the ICC. We are very confident and we are all prepared for those games to go ahead,” Steve Elworthy told cricketworld.com when he was asked that there are reports in the press that India and Pakistan may not play against each other in the much-awaited tournament.
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Recently, Indian cricket fans and some former cricketers, angered by an attack on Indian forces in Pulwama district of Occupied Kashmir, urged BCCI to boycott a World Cup match against Pakistan this summer.
The Cricket Club of India, among the country’s oldest clubs, also joined calls for the national team to stay away from the June 16 match in Britain.
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack on a military convoy that killed 40 paramilitary police on 14 February.
India and Pakistan have not hosted a cricket series between their countries since 2013 due to political tensions. However, the national teams have faced each other in tournaments such as the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2018 Asia Cup held in neutral venues.
BCCI can be banned if India boycott Pakistan
The Indian government has warned the top board against any hurried decision as boycotting Pakistan at an event of the magnitude of the World Cup can result in India suffering.
As per a report in NDTV, India’s decision to boycott Pakistan at the World Cup can draw a furious reaction from ICC and BCCI could be handed a ban by the international body.
India are scheduled to face Pakistan on June 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester and the much-anticipated encounter is unarguably the biggest tie at the showpiece event with over 4,00,000 applications for tickets of the game, while the stadium can only accommodate 25,000 people.
