Pakistan cricket team gets government clearance for World Cup in India

The Pakistan cricket team will be travelling to India for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, it was confirmed on Sunday after the Pakistan government gave clearance to the national side for the mega event.

The ODI World Cup 2023 will be taking place in India from 5 October to 19 November and Pakistan are scheduled to play India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 15 October. The date of the match is set to be shifted to 14 October due to security issues in the city as the start of Navratri also falls on 15 October but the same is still to be confirmed by the ICC.

Confirming Pakistan’s participation in a press release, the foreign ministry said that sports should not be mixed with politics.

“Pakistan believes that the state of bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of fulfilling its international sports-related obligations,” the foreign ministry release said.

The foreign ministry also added that despite giving a green light to the team, Pakistan has “deep concerns” about the security of the cricket team and it would relay them to ICC and the Indian authorities.

“Pakistan, however, has deep concerns about the security of its cricket team. We are conveying these concerns to the International Cricket Council and the Indian authorities.

“We expect that the full safety and security of the Pakistan cricket team will be ensured during its visit to India,” the release said.

The Pakistan government’s latest decision brings an end to the long drawn saga which began last year after former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja said that the national team would not travel to India if Men in Blue don’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.

Asia Cup 2023 will be played on a hybrid mode in August-September with India playing their matches in Sri Lanka.