The much-anticipated ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will see Pakistan’s participation, as India has granted visas to the Pakistan cricket team, as confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday.
The ICC’s announcement follows concerns over delays in visa issuance.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reached out to the ICC, expressing its distress over visa delays, which had hampered the team’s World Cup preparations in India.
“Visas have been issued,” mentioned an ICC representative to Reuters, refraining from further comments.
Umar Farooq, a spokesperson for the PCB, informed Reuters about the directive to collect their passports from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
While political tensions have led India and Pakistan to halt bilateral cricket ties, they continue to face off in multi-team tournaments such as the World Cup and Asia Cup.
Farooq had previously expressed his frustration regarding the unfair treatment towards the Pakistan cricket team, emphasizing their schedule to land in India on Wednesday.
Farooq highlighted the “unprecedented delay” in securing the visas, saying, “It’s disheartening for the Pakistan team to face such ambiguity before a significant tournament.”
World Cup Fever: Matches to Look Forward To
Pakistan is slated to play some warm-up matches before their official World Cup journey begins against the Netherlands on October 6. However, fans eagerly await the October 14 face-off between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
India chose not to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup and played their games in Sri Lanka instead.
Pakistan’s Squad and Match Schedule
Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, and others.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.
Warm-up Matches:
- September 29 — vs New Zealand, Hyderabad
- October 3 — vs Australia, Hyderabad
World Cup Schedule:
- Starting with the Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad to England on November 11 in Kolkata.
Day matches kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST); the rest are day-night games starting at 01:30 pm (PST).
If Pakistan reaches the semi-finals, their match is scheduled in Kolkata. If India advances to the semis, they’ll play in Mumbai, unless against Pakistan – then it’s Kolkata.
*Additional news input was sourced from Reuters.
