Pakistan was supposed to go to Dubai first and then head to India for ICC World Cup 2023. They were going to have a practice match with New Zealand on September 29. Some people say that the Pakistan Cricket Board has told the International Cricket Council about a problem with getting the visas on time.
In a setback for Pakistan’s cricket team, Indian visas for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 have not been issued yet. This delay has prompted the team to cancel their planned “team-bonding trip” to Dubai.
Initially, the Green Shirts were set to depart for Dubai early next week, before proceeding to India for their first warm-up match against New Zealand on September 29. However, the revised plan now has them flying to Dubai and then heading to Hyderabad, India, next Wednesday. Surprisingly, Pakistan is the only team out of the nine participating nations yet to receive their visas.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed concerns over this situation and has promptly informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the delay. The ICC World Cup is slated to kick off on October 5.
According to sources, the visas were expected to be issued on time according to the agreement with the regulatory body. Unfortunately, Indian authorities have not provided any updates regarding the visa issuance for the team and their fans.
The PCB has maintained regular communication with the Indian Consulate over the past week. However, as of Friday, the visas were still pending, marking the end of the working week.
World Cup Schedule
Travel between the two countries has been a perennial issue for players due to diplomatic tensions between their respective governments. Notably, there hasn’t been a bilateral series between the teams in each other’s countries since the 2012-2013 season.
Pakistan’s World Cup schedule is as follows:
- October 6: vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
- October 10: vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
- October 14: vs India in Ahmedabad
- October 20: vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23: vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27: vs. South Africa in Chennai
- October 31: vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 4: vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
- November 11: vs England in Kolkata
Day matches are set to commence at 10 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 1:30 pm PST.
In the event that Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata. Similarly, if India reaches the semi-finals, they will compete in Mumbai, except if facing Pakistan, in which case the match will be held in Kolkata.
