Pakistan prefers to play non-Asian team in World Cup warm-up match

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not keen on playing their ICC 2023 World Cup warm-up match against Afghanistan.

According to a media report, the PCB has expressed a preference for taking on a team from outside the Asian region for the warm-up encounter, considering the fact that they are already expected to face Afghanistan in the 2023 Asia Cup prior to the World Cup.

Consequently, the PCB has communicated its stance to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Cricket Pakistan reported on Saturday that the PCB had sought to swap venues for their matches against Afghanistan and Australia. Specifically, they requested that their match against Australia be relocated to Chennai and their match against Afghanistan to Bengaluru.

The PCB's concern stemmed from the fact that the Chennai pitch is known to be favorable to spinners, which could pose a challenge for the Pakistani team in their match against Afghanistan. As Afghanistan possesses skilled slow bowlers, Pakistan felt apprehensive about playing them in Chennai.

Despite these concerns, the BCCI has remained firm and dismissed the PCB's requests made to the ICC, reported Press Trust of India (PTI). The Indian cricket governing body is unwilling to make any modifications to the proposed schedule.