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The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice are scheduled to visit Pakistan on Tuesday, with the country's participation in the World Cup in India in October-November this year anticipated to dominate the discussions, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. The tour is part of a regular series of visits to Full Members.
Given India's tense ties with Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director Najam Sethi said that there is a "distinct possibility" that the Pakistan government may not allow Pakistan to visit India. The World Cup schedule will be published at the World Test Championship final, which begins on June 7 at The Oval, while Pakistan's participation in the competition remains doubtful. The ICC's general manager of cricket, Wasim Khan on Monday stated that the talk between India and Pakistan on this topic is still "ongoing." "That's something that is ongoing at the moment. Greg and Geoff are in Pakistan at the moment (landing Tuesday morning), discussing a number of areas with the PCB hierarchy. That is certainly up to the two countries and the hierarchy within the ICC to discuss and come to some conclusions," ESPNcricinfo quoted Wasim as saying. This occurred after India declined to come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which is set to take place in September, and neither party agreed to the PCB's proposed hybrid format, which would see only four of the 13 Asia Cup matches played in Pakistan. The next nine matches, including the final, will be played in a neutral site, according to that suggestion. Although Pakistan is the event's official host, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has yet to grant its approval for the tournament to be staged as planned by the PCB. However, the boards of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will meet in Ahmedabad during the IPL final for informal discussions over the Asia Cup. The visit by Barclay and Allardice will be the first by high-ranking ICC officials to Pakistan since then-President Ray Mali's visit in 2008. They will be in the nation for two days, during which they will discuss a variety of matters, including the ICC's funding model and discussions about Pakistan hosting the Champions Trophy in February 2025. Before his travel to Pakistan, Barclay is said to have visited India. (ANI)
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