ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official informed The News that it is “too early” to comment on Pakistan’s proposed matches in the recently released preliminary schedule for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup. The cricket organization kept quiet about the anticipated blockbuster match between Pakistan and India in Ahmedabad on October 15, claiming that the schedule will be closely scrutinized. The PCB official added that the planned matches, especially the one against India on October 15, would be thoroughly examined before any comment could be provided to the tentative schedule being discussed among the participating nations. We recently got the suggested timetable. The 2023 ODI match schedule has been sent out to the participating nations in order to acquire their opinions and reactions to the suggested matches, particularly the ones where their country is involved. To remark on Pakistan’s proposed matches would be premature, he said. Pakistan are expected to start their ODI World Cup campaign with back-to-back matches against qualifiers on October 6 (Hyderabad) and October 12 (Hyderabad). The following games for the Green Shirts are scheduled for October 15 in Ahmedabad against India, October 20 in Bengaluru against Australia, and October 23 in Chennai against Afghanistan. The planned itinerary calls for Pakistan-South Africa to play in Chennai on October 27 before Bangladesh plays in Kolkata on October 31. The Pakistan-New Zealand match is proposed for November 5 in Bengaluru, with Kolkata hosting Pakistan’s match against England on November 12. In all, Pakistan will play nine matches in a single league format (all teams playing against each other), which will directly enter into the semi-finals. “Within the next few days, we are to discuss the schedule within the Board and if required will take government consent on the matter also. So far there has been no development yet,” the official said. When asked whether the PCB has consented to Pakistan’s playing in India without government approval or whether the approval has already been sought, he said it was not like that. “We have already made it clear that Pakistan’s participation in any cricketing event in India depends on government approval. The PCB alone cannot take any decision on playing in India without the government approval,” he said. The PCB has already sought assurances on the team’s security in India, particularly against Hindu extremists. “We are concerned about the security of the Pakistan cricketers and want ICC guarantee on that even if our government allows us to cross over the border to play in India,” he said. Even the ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice was very particular about players’ safety. In a recent statement, he said: “In some places, there is a lot of consultation within the cricket system and with governments, etc. There is a lot of responsibility on the host to put on a good event, and they have to go through that.”