The much-anticipated ODI World Cup 2023 is all set to take place in India. It will be the first time that India will solely host the entire tournament at home. It will be played across ten venues in India.
The tournament will start on October 5 with a match between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India will open their tournament on October 8 with a game against Australia at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. The high-profile clash between India and Pakistan is likely to take place on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
The game was scheduled to take place on October 15 but was rescheduled a day before due to security reasons. It will be another epic clash between the two teams, who have produced many mouth-watering clashes. Notably, none of the current Pakistani players, including Babar Azam, have played a game in India.
So it will be another huge game for them, in front of more than 100,000 spectators, many at home. Hence, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to send a sports psychologist with the team to take care of the team. He can help the team handle the pressure, which will be immense.
Pakistan lost high-pressure matches in the last two T20 World Cup editions against Australia and England. As a result, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf is looking for a psychologist or mental strengthening coach for the team. According to Geo News, PCB is yet to decide on a suitable candidate for his role, but Paddy Upton is the name coming out.
Paddy has worked with Pakistani players for the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL. He was also part of the support staff for India when they won the 2011 World Cup at home under MS Dhoni. Though it is still a question of Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, there are positive signs for this.
Pakistan is supposed to land in India in the last week of September. On the other hand, both teams will play 2-3 games ahead of the World Cup in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The game between both teams will be played on September 2 in Pallekele.
