LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket squad is likely to get their Indian visas today ahead of their trip to the neighbouring country for ICC World Cup 2023.
The Indian Embassy in Pakistan is likely to get the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian Interior Ministry today. After receiving NOC, the visas will be issued to the Pakistan team.
The Pakistan squad is likely to leave for Hyderabad, India, via Dubai on Wednesday morning.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the visa issue as, according to the agreement, PCB was assured that they will receive them in time.
Due to visa delays, Pakistan were also forced to cancel their pre-World Cup team-bonding trip to Dubai. The Babar Azam-led unit were supposed to fly to the UAE early this week and stay for a couple of days before departing for Hyderabad.
The ICC World Cup 2023 will take place in India with 10 teams fighting for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan
Schedule of Pakistan's warm-up matches:
September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad
Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
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 Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches which will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
