ODI Cricket World Cup 2023: Eden Gardens Prays For India Vs Pakistan Semifinal, PCB Given Warning By ICC

The iconic Eden Gardens stadium will feature Team India in a semifinal at the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 but only if their opponents are Pakistan. After the much-delayed announcement of World Cup 2023 schedule, the ICC also declared that India’s semifinal will be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai but if they face Pakistan, the last four game will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The India vs Pakistan group stage fixture though will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president and brother of former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, Snehasish Ganguly, said on Tuesday that the preparations have started for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and added that an India vs Pakistan match at Eden Gardens would be a dream match.

“Preparations have started. We started preparations after IPL for the World Cup. We are renovating the stadium, corporate boxes. Ground conditions are excellent. Preparations will start from July 1 for the ground. We had a meeting with our curator. Eden Gardens is ready to host the World Cup. There are some patches here and there, within the next two months, we will resolve all those issues,” said Snehashish Ganguly to ANI news agency.

On the World Cup schedule, Ganguly expressed his satisfaction, saying that they got ‘what we expected, what we wished for’. “We tried that we get a semifinal match this time and at the last moment, we got a semifinal match at Eden,” he said.

Kolkata will host Qualifier 1 vs Bangladesh on October 28, Pakistan vs Bangladesh on October 31, India vs South Africa on November 5, England vs Pakistan on November 12 and the second semifinal on November 16.

“Everyone’s first choice will be an India vs Pakistan semifinal at Eden Gardens, it would be a dream match,” he added.

#WATCH | "Preparations have already started...we're renovating the stadium...Eden Gardens is prepared to host the World Cup...": Snehasish Ganguly, President, Cricket Association of Bengal on ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 pic.twitter.com/XoTBGxlBj4 — ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2023

On the pitch, Ganguly said that the staff will go for a sporting wicket, which offers high-scoring contests and helps both bowlers and batters. “In IPL, everyone enjoyed the match since they were high scoring and the wicket condition was good. We will try maintaining it,” he added.

Ganguly said that a decision on tickets price will be taken in the next couple of days. “We expect the crowd to come, we have a capacity of 65,000. Keeping this in mind, we will have a reasonable price,” he added.

ICC issue warning to Pakistan Cricket Board

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday that Pakistan had signed a participation agreement to compete in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 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.

(with ANI inputs)