With less than a couple of days before their scheduled departure to Hyderabad, India for the ICC World Cup 2023, the Pakistan cricket team was granted Indian visas on Monday evening (September 25).
The Pakistan team which was scheduled to head to Dubai in the (UAE) for a two-day camp before flying into India will now directly fly to Hyderabad India, via Dubai on Wednesday (September 27) for the World Cup which starts on September 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
BIG BREAKING: Pakistan and Afghanistan have been issued visas for the World Cup. Both teams can travel as per their plans @ICC #ICCWorldCup
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) September 25, 2023
The India-Pakistan clash on October 14 in Ahmedabad is the tournament's highlight.
Pakistan applied for visas on September 19 - which will be five working days tomorrow and it’s not uncommon to take these many days. Any delay beyond tomorrow will be rather unnecessary. Heard visas may be issued Tuesday for them to travel to India Wednesday. #ICCWorldCup…
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) September 25, 2023
However, it is noteworthy that, the Pakistani team played its last match on September 14 where it was knocked out by Sri Lanka.
After multiple delays, the Indian govt has issued visas to Pakistan's squad, enabling it to travel to India for the World Cup, PCB spokesperson Umar Farooq said.
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) September 25, 2023
“Finally received a call from the Indian High Commission to collect the passports,” he said.https://t.co/4min5L6Gd0
The visa delays can also be seen in light of the complex dynamics between India and Pakistan in bilateral cricket. Matches between the two, in the last decade have primarily been played in multi-team events like the World Cup and Asia Cup.
Earlier, the PCB had threatened to withdraw from the World Cup in India after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. The Pakistan team's participation was only confirmed after receiving approval from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.