World Cup schedule and venues to be announced during WTC final

The schedule and venues for the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India are expected to be announced during the final of the World Test Championship in London, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Saturday after the board's Special General Meeting (SGM) here.

A decision on the Asia Cup 2023, to be held before the World Cup, will also be taken in the coming days as representatives of some of the Asian Cricket Council members are here for the IPL final, to be played on Sunday between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

"The venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will be decided at a press conference during the ICC World Test Championship Final. The complete schedule for the tournament will also be revealed," Shah said.

"The future of the Asia Cup 2023 will be decided once we have a meeting with the ACC members (Test playing nations) and the Associate nations," Shah added.

The BCCI secretary informed that 15 stadiums have been shortlisted for improvement in basic facilities for the fans, keeping them in mind and more stadiums will be added at a later stage. Grant Thornton has been given the task for this purpose.

The BCCI will also be announcing specific committees in a week's time, which will handle the 2023 World Cup in India and the Women's Premier League, along with a committee to draft the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) policy.

Shah informed, "As far as the venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup are concerned, each office-bearer will be responsible for each venue. We are looking at all the metros as venues for the tournament." "We will create a committee to structure the POSH policy. The draft is ready, it will be presented before the AGM for ratification and necessary approvals," he added.

Additionally, the proposed limited-overs series between India and Afghanistan will be held before the World Cup, but the dates and venues are yet to be worked out.

Shah added that the impact player rule in this IPL has been appreciated by all teams and players, which has resulted in a record number of totals in excess of 200, with the boundaries and sixes also crossing the 1,000 and 2,000-mark.