(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] The Pakistan team has finally received the visas for the travel to India for the ODI World Cup 2023.
It all boiled down in brouhaha after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) with their concern being a delay in the issuing of the Indian visas.
“There has been an extraordinary delay in getting clearance and securing Indian visas for the Pakistan team for the ICC World Cup. We have written to the ICC raising our concerns about inequitable treatment towards Pakistan and reminding them of their obligations towards the World Cup,” PCB wrote in a letter to ICC.
“It’s a matter of disappointment that the Pakistan team has to go through the uncertainty ahead of the major tournament. We have been reminding them about their obligations for the last three years and it has all come down to the last two days with our first warm-up game scheduled on September 29. We were forced to cancel our original plan to organise team-building exercises in Dubai on the way to India. We have had to rework our plan and book new flights, but these plans are subject to issuance of visas,” it added.
PCB’s issues have finally been resolved as Babar Azam and Co. were granted the Indian visas late on Monday.
“Finally received a call from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to collect the passports,” PCB spokesperson Umar Farooq Kalson confirmed to Dawn.com.
The Pakistan World Cup-bound contingent was earlier scheduled to have a two-day camp in Dubai on Monday and Tuesday before their flight to India.
However, as things stand now, they will now travel directly to India on Wednesday.
Pakistan will face New Zealand and Australia in the World Cup warm-up games on September 29 and October 3 respectively.
The Men in Green will play their first World Cup match on October 6 against Netherlands in Hyderabad.