ICC World Cup 2023 in India: Pakistan team's visas yet to be cleared, preparation plans hit, says report

Pakistan's plans to arrive in India for the ICC World Cup 2023 has hit a roadblock due to visa delays, a report said on Saturday. The Pakistan team was supposed to go to Dubai, UAE, for a two-day team bonding camp before arriving in India for the mega event. The plan had to be cancelled as the Pakistan team is still waiting to get visas for their travel to India. 

Of the 9 teams that are participating in the international tournament hosted by India, the Pakistan team is reportedly the only one to have not received their visa yet, ESPNCricinfo reported. 

The visa delays, however, have prompted them to cancel their stay in Dubai. They will now fly from Lahore to Dubai on Wednesday and then will fly to Hyderabad from there provided they get their visas on time. 

Pakistan are slated to play two warm-up matches - vs New Zealand on September 29 and vs Australia on October 3 - at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad before the main rounds that will start on October 5.

Pakistan will be travelling to India for the first time since 2012-13.

It is to be noted that since 2012-13, neither team has travelled to the other's country for series and matches. In fact, only two players from the current Pakistan squad have come to India before for cricketing assignments. Travel between the two countries has been limited ever since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 which also halted the bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. 

India have not travelled to Pakistan for a bilateral series since 2006. The last time an Indian cricket team visited Pakistan was in the 2008 Asia Cup.

Pakistan World Cup squad

On Friday, Pakistan announced its 15-player squad for the World Cup with Babar Azam leading the squad. 

Batting great and chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq revealed the names of the players at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.  Pacer Hasan Ali has been drafted into Pakistan's ODI World Cup squad in place of the injured Naseem Shah. Inzamam-ul-Haq also announced three travelling reserves -- wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, spinner Abrar Ahmed and fast bowler Zaman Khan for the tournament.

The selected Pakistan team for the ICC World Cup is as follows: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Wasim Junior, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Osama Mir.

The 10-team 2023 ODI World Cup starts on October 5 with a clash between the previous edition's finalists England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format, with all teams playing against each other. The top four teams will then qualify for the semi-finals.

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