ODI World Cup 2023: Days before their Warm-up game against New Zealand, Pakistan team receive visa clearance

As the Indian government confirms the visas for the Pakistan Cricket Team, Babar Azam and company are set to embark on India's journey today. The team will reach India through Dubai and will face New Zealand in the first warm-up game on September 29. It's worth noting that they received the visas at the last moment after deep security checks by the Indian government.

The visa approval came after PCB wrote to Apex Cricket Council complaining about the delay in the procedure. It's worth noting that Pakistan had to cancel their camp in Dubai as they had no final plans to travel to India. However, an Indian government spokesperson revealed on Monday that the Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed Pakistani cricketers to travel to India. The government has allowed a total of 31 members to travel to India.

Earlier, the PCB spokesperson had alleged that the Indian government made an extraordinary delay in approving their 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 these obligations towards the World Cup. It's a matter of disappointment that the Pakistan team has to go through this uncertainty ahead of the major tournament", the statement read.

Security concerns mount over Pakistan's warm-up match

Meanwhile, Pakistan is set to face New Zealand on September 29 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The warm-up match will be played behind closed doors, as spectators are not allowed. According to the Hyderabad Cricket Association and Telangana Police, the security arrangements to handle a crowd are not possible because of Ganesh Visarjan and Milan-Un-Nabi.

However, Pakistan had agreed to play behind closed doors. It's worth noting that Pakistan will continue to camp in Hyderabad till October 12 before moving to Ahmedabad on October 14 to face arch-rival India at Narendra Modi Stadium. In between, teams will face two qualifier teams, i.e., the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, in their group matches on October 6 and 10, respectively.