World Cup 2023: After Ahmedabad, Kolkata requests BCCI to reschedule Pakistan game

After Ahmedabad, Kolkata has now requested the BCCI to reschedule the World Cup match between Pakistan and England on November 12. The date is coinciding with Kali Puja, the second biggest festival after Durga Puja in West Bengal. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Friday requested the Indian cricket board to change the date as concerns have been raised by local security agencies, the news agency PTI reported. 

Earlier, the Ahmedabad Police had told the BCCI that it would be difficult for it to manage security on October 15 which happened to be the first day of Navaratri. The Indian Express recently reported that the India-Pakistan match will now be played on October 14. The BCCI, the report said, has got the approval for the change in schedule from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Due to the rescheduling of India's match, Pakistan's clash with Sri Lanka will now happen on October 10 instead of October 12. And if BCCI and ICC have to accommodate another date change, then Pakistan will have a third change in schedule. 

During Kali Puja, thousands of local clubs organise festivities with a large police deployment required to maintain law and order across the length and breadth of the city.

CAB president Snehasish Ganguly denied any "official request" for a change in schedule, according to the news agency PTI. However, the report said, senior office-bearers in CAB are well aware that Kolkata Police has already raised this issue.

"Kolkata Police has cited concerns to provide security for the match slated on Diwali. We have informed the ICC and BCCI to reschedule it and if does not happen we would inform this to the chief minister," a senior CAB office-bearer, who was part of the meeting with the 17-member ICC and BCCI inspection team, told PTI.

Talking to reporters after the ICC's inspection and meeting that lasted for more than three hours, CAB chief Ganguly gave a guarded response: "We have not yet got anything officially from the Kolkata Police. Unless we get something officially, we can't inform the ICC. The security issue is being taken care of by the Kolkata Police. That is not our lookout."

Incidentally, the CAB top brass had gone to meet Kolkata Police officials at their Lalbazaar headquarters a couple of days back. Snehasish however termed it a "courtesy call". "We went to Kolkata Police for a courtesy visit two days ago, and we had a discussion with them. We schedule, plan and how we are preparing the stadium were discussed," he said. The CAB is learnt to have requested a rescheduling of the fixture in a letter to BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Friday.