World Cup 2023: when will Pakistan cricket team get visas?

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The Pakistani cricket team is anticipated to receive their visas for their journey to India for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, according to sources on Monday. This development comes just days before the highly awaited tournament is set to commence in the neighboring country.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had informed the International Cricket Council about the delay in visa issuance, prompting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to expedite the process.

Sources have indicated that the Indian embassy in Pakistan is expected to obtain a non-objection certificate from its home ministry later today, after which they will promptly issue the visas.

Notably, Pakistan is the only team among the nine participating nations that has not yet received their visas, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

According to insider information, the national squad will travel from Dubai to Hyderabad, India. Their warm-up match is scheduled against New Zealand on September 29.

It’s worth mentioning that travel between the two countries has historically been challenging for players due to diplomatic tensions between the governments. Bilateral series between Pakistan and India have not taken place in any format since 2012-13, with the last Test match between the two arch-rivals occurring in 2007.

Here is Pakistan’s schedule for the World Cup:

October 6 – vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 – vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 – vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 – vs New Zealand in Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 – vs England in Kolkata
Day matches are scheduled to begin at 10 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 1:30 pm (PST).

If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, their match will be in Kolkata. However, if India reaches the semi-finals and faces Pakistan, the match will be in Kolkata.

Here is the squad:

Captain: Babar Azam
Team Members: 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.

Reserve Players:

Mohammad Haris, Zaman Khan, Abrar Ahmed.