ISLAMABAD: Visas for the Pakistan squad participating in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 have yet to be issued by India, leading to the cancellation of their planned “team-bonding trip” to Dubai.
The Green Shirts had originally planned to depart for Dubai early next week, with India being their final destination in preparation for their first warm-up match against New Zealand on September 29.
However, the team has now decided to fly to Dubai and then proceed to Hyderabad, India, next week on Wednesday. Pakistan is the only team among the nine not yet issued their visas.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed its concern about the situation to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC World Cup is scheduled to commence on October 5.
Sources have also stated that the visas were expected to be issued on time as per the agreement with the regulatory body. Additionally, Indian authorities have not provided any information regarding visa issuance for the team and cricket fans.
The PCB has maintained continuous contact with the Indian Consulate over the past week. However, as of the last working day of the week, which was Friday, the visas had not been issued.
Travel between the two countries has traditionally been challenging for players due to diplomatic tensions between the governments. However, the teams have not engaged in bilateral series in each other’s countries since 2012-2013.
Pakistan’s schedule for World Cup
6 October – vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
10 October – vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
14 October – vs India in Ahmedabad
20 October – vs Australia in Bengaluru
23 October – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
27 October – vs South Africa in Chennai
31 October – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
4 November – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
11 November – vs England in Kolkata
Matches are set to begin at 10 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) for the day fixtures, while all other matches will start as day-night fixtures at 1:30 pm PST.
Moreover, If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
In the case of India’s qualification for the semi-finals, their venue will be Mumbai, unless they face Pakistan, in which case the match will be held in Kolkata.
Squad
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafiq, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), M Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir.
Reserves
Mohammad Haris, Zaman Khan, Abrar Ahmed.
