Pakistan and 17 other nations are keen to host a global flagship tournament after the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked for members interested to host events in the eight-year cycle running from 2023 to 2031.
The last major ICC event Pakistan hosted was 24 years back in 1996 when it co-hosted the ODI World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. International cricket has virtually been absent in the country since a 2009 attack on the touring Sri Lanka team in Lahore.
“The PCB has expressed its interest in hosting ICC events during the 2023-31 events cycle,” a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesperson told Reuters.
“We will work in line with ICC guidelines and look forward to submitting strong proposal in the coming months.”
ICC chief executive, Manu Sawhney had gone to several member countries to encourage bids following the decision that all future events conducted by the ICC will go through a bidding process.
“We are extremely encouraged with the positive response we’ve received for the 2023-31 cycle,” an ICC spokesman said. “We have had close to 100 offers with 18 members showing interest in holding the 28 events proposed for the cycle.”
The ICC hope to add more events to its existing package in a bid to sell to the broadcasters. However, the big three – India, England and Australia – are against this idea as it would hinder the frequent bilaterals between the three nations.