Jay Shah dismisses security concerns for India-Pakistan World Cup clash

Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah on Friday categorically dismissed any security concerns regarding the highly anticipated India-Pakistan World Cup 2023 match scheduled for October 15 in Ahmedabad.

Addressing these reports, Shah clarified that while there might be some adjustments in the World Cup schedule, they are not driven by security concerns. Instead, the proposed changes are in response to requests from several Full Member countries, who have raised logistical constraints as an issue.

“We are working closely with the ICC to consider requests from some Full Member countries to change two or three dates in the schedule. This is not due to security concerns but to accommodate certain logistical challenges,” said Shah.

He further highlighted that some matches in the original schedule have a mere two-day gap between games, making it challenging for teams to recover, travel, and compete within such a short span. The BCCI is keen on finding solutions that ensure a fair and optimal playing environment for all participating teams.

Shah also reiterated that the decision to host the India-Pakistan match in Ahmedabad on October 15 stands firm, and any potential changes would be for the betterment of the overall tournament experience and not due to any security apprehensions.

Earlier, there were reports suggesting the possibility of rescheduling the India-Pakistan clash due to the coinciding Navratri celebrations, which could raise security concerns in Gujarat, including the host city of Ahmedabad.