More changes in ICC World Cup 2023 schedule? Hyderabad Police raises security concerns

The ICC World Cup 2023 schedule has already seen a lot of changes in the recent past but it seems like the fixture list can get altered once again. The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has informed the Board For Cricket Control in India (BCCI) that they may find it difficult to host World Cup matches on consecutive days. The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad will host the match between New Zealand and Netherlands on October 9 and on the very next day, Sri Lanka will face Pakistan at the same venue.

The Hyderabad Police has raised security concerns regarding the lack of any gap between the two games and the fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is of special concern to the authorities.

The match was initially scheduled for October 12 but with the India-Pakistan clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad getting rescheduled for October 14, this game was brought forward in order to provide Pakistan with adequate time to recuperate between the matches.

The World Cup schedule has been changed quite a bit after the India-Pakistan game clashed with the first day of the Navaratri festival in Gujarat and the authorities were not sure about the security arrangements. A similar situation also took place for the Pakistan-England match on November 12 in Kolkata which coincided with Kali Puja and as a result, was rescheduled to November 11.

The Indian cricket team will start their campaign against Australia in Chennai on October 8. The World Cup tickets will officially go on sale from August 25. (NDTV)