The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with a request to change the date of the England vs. Pakistan ODI World Cup match, originally planned for November 12 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. ESPNCricinfo reported on Saturday that the proposed replacement date is November 11.
The reason for this change is the concern raised by the city police, who anticipate heightened security requirements for the match because of Pakistan’s participation. This is due to the clash with one of the city’s most significant Hindu festivals, Kalipujo, scheduled for November 12.
Following a meeting with city police officials on Thursday, CAB was informed about potential law-and-order challenges on the festive day, prompting them to write to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, seeking a rescheduling of the match.
This situation mirrors a similar incident in Ahmedabad, where the police expressed their inability to provide security for the India vs. Pakistan game on October 15, coinciding with the first day of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri. Consequently, that match has reportedly been shifted to October 14.
Jay Shah explained that date changes were necessitated due to concerns raised by several cricketing boards about travel between matches, which could limit teams’ practice time.
For Kolkata, hosting a major religious event and a significant cricket match on the same day poses challenges for the local police. The CAB has also reached out to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, in an effort to retain the England vs. Pakistan game at Eden Gardens.
The original schedule for the World Cup was released by the ICC and BCCI in June, with just 100 days to go until the tournament commenced in October. This is in contrast to previous editions, such as the 2019 Cricket World Cup hosted by England and Wales and the 2015 Cricket World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand, where the schedules were announced over 12 months in advance.
As per the current schedule, Eden Gardens will host various matches, including a fixture between Netherlands and Bangladesh on October 28, another Bangladesh fixture against Pakistan on October 31, and Team India’s match against South Africa on November 5. The England vs. Pakistan game is slated for November 12, with the second semifinal scheduled for November 16.
With just two months remaining until the World Cup commences, no information about ticket sales has been released by the BCCI and ICC.
