Pakistan Cricket Board. (Photo Source: Twitter/TherealPCBmedia)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking an official clearance to travel to India for ODI World Cup 2023, starting from October 5. The board has written a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the foreign ministry, seeking a response on whether the Pakistan cricket team is allowed to travel to India and if there are any issues at any of the five venues where Pakistan will play their matches.
The letter further asks the Pakistan government if they want to send a security delegation for reconnaissance ahead of the tournament. Notably, Pakistan will be playing all their league matches in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. According to reports, PCB wrote the letter on June 26 as a necessary step as travelling to India requires special permission from the government.
According to ESPNCricinfo, no deadline has been provided for the government to respond, however, PCB is unlikely to travel without a clearance from the government. The PCB also shared Pakistan’s entire schedule with the government which includes the high-voltage clash against India in Ahmedabad on October 15.
“Soon after the World Cup schedule was announced last Tuesday, we wrote to our Patron, Honourable Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, through the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry, copying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior, requesting clearance to participate in the World Cup,” the PCB told ESPNcricinfo.
The PCB also said that the government could also send an advance team to India to inspect the venues and hold meetings with the event organisers.
The Pakistan government likely to postpone the decision
“The decision to visit India and approve venues at which we can play our matches is the prerogative of the Government of Pakistan. We have absolute trust in the judgment of our government and will follow whatever is advised. It is entirely up to the Government of Pakistan the process it wants to formulate and follow before advising us on the next steps. If this requires sending an advance team to India to inspect the venues and hold meetings with the event organizers, then it will solely be the government’s decision,” PCB added.
The report further suggests that the decision to travel to India might not be taken by the current Pakistan government as its tenure is ending in August. Hence, it will be postponed until the next government takes charge. The current government will probably not make a formal announcement at this stage.