"Pakistan signed a participation agreement...": ICC reply to PCB on Govt clearance for participation in CWC 2023

Dubai [UAE], June 27 : International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday that Pakistan had signed a participation agreement to compete in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup this year in October-November.
Notably, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday that it is currently liaising with the Pakistan government for guidance and clearance to tour India for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and will communicate the outcome to ICC.
"Pakistan have signed a participation agreement to compete and we expect them to be there and have had no indications to the contrary," said a statement from ICC on the matter.
"All Members have to abide by the rules and the laws of their country and we respect that. But we're confident Pakistan will be in India for the Men's Cricket World Cup," added the statement.
PCB's statement came after the schedule for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was announced.
"The PCB requires the Government of Pakistan's clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues. We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear something from them, we will update the Event Authority (ICC). This position is consistent with what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback," said the statement from PCB.
PCB's participation in ICC CWC 2023, to be held entirely in India for the first time ever, has been a widely-debated subject ever since Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah announced last year that Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue instead of being hosted by Pakistan.
PCB expressed numerous times since then that it could pose a threat to Pakistan's participation in the 2023 CWC under threat.
PCB proposed a hybrid model for the Asia Cup where India gets to play all of its matches at some neutral venue, which later turned out to be Sri Lanka.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) earlier in June announced a hybrid model for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, with Pakistan set to host four matches out of 13, while the remaining nine games will be played in Sri Lanka.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal will compete in 13 exciting ODI matches from August 31 to September 17, 2023.
ACC released an official statement to announce the dates and reveal that the competition will feature two groups, with two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will then face off in the final.
"We are delighted to announce that the Asia Cup 2023 will be held from 31st to 17th September 2023 and will see the elite teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal, compete in a total of 13 exciting ODI matches. The tournament will be hosted in a hybrid model with four matches being held in Pakistan, and the remaining nine matches being played in Sri Lanka," ACC announced in a statement.
The opening match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, featuring defending champions England and runner-up New Zealand, is set to commence on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Ten teams will feature in this biggest Cricket World Cup ever, to be played across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The event will feature 48 matches to be played across 46 days.
India's World Cup campaign will begin with a match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
The venues other than Ahmedabad and Chennai are Bengaluru, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. while Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram will join Hyderabad in hosting the practice games.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will square off at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six-day matches that will start at 10h30 Indian Standard Time (IST) while all other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 14h00 IST.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, to be played in Mumbai on 15 November and in Kolkata on 16 November. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.