Reports | ICC postponed 2023 World Cup to accommodate PCB’s request

On Monday, July 20, the governing council called off the 2020 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. At the same time, the ICC also announced the revised schedule of two other mega-events - T20 World Cup 2021 and ODI World Cup 2023. The 2023 50-over World Cup, which was originally scheduled to begin on February 9 in India, was pushed to the October-November window of that year.

According to a report in The News (Pakistan), it was PCB chief Ehsan Mani’s request to the governing council that had led to the ICC postponing the next 50-over World Cup. The report added that the PCB always wanted to stage the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during the February-March window of 2023 and that led to Mani influencing the apex board to push the ODI World Cup. 

“This means that now the international window in Feb-March is free for the next three years. That’s the window PCB had always chosen to hold the PSL. The PCB chairman garnered support from various ICC Board members to ensure that there is a proper window available for the PSL on the international calendar,” a source told The News, Pakistan. 

“The Board may not be on the brink of bankruptcy but it is going to face the crunch unless it manages substantial media and commercial rights deals. The fact that PSL has a window available for 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions means that PCB is now in a much better position to sell the rights,” the source added.

On the ICC’s announcement of the postponement of this year’s T20 World Cup, former Pakistan cricketers such as Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif had lashed out at the BCCI for influencing the ICC to postpone the T20 World Cup in order to stage the IPL. However, as revealed by the report, PCB too had its own side of convincing due to personal gain.