According to Hindustan Times, Pakistan’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup in India have hit a snag due to visa issues. Among the nine participating teams, Pakistan is the only one yet to receive their visas for the tournament, as reported by ESPNCricinfo. Originally, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had planned to conduct a two-day camp in Dubai before flying to India, but this had to be canceled due to the visa delays.
The PCB initially intended to fly the team to Dubai on Monday, spend a couple of days there, and then catch a flight to Hyderabad, India, late on Wednesday. In Hyderabad, Pakistan is scheduled to play two warm-up matches, one against New Zealand on September 29 and another against Australia on October 3, at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, just before the main rounds of the World Cup kick off.
However, because of the visa problems, Pakistan’s travel plans had to be adjusted. Now, the team will fly directly from Lahore to Dubai on Wednesday, and from there, they hope to obtain their Indian visas in time to travel to Hyderabad. PCB officials remain optimistic that the necessary visa approvals will be granted before their departure for Hyderabad.
The visa delay underscores the longstanding political tensions between India and Pakistan, which have restricted travel between the two countries since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. These tensions have also led to a halt in bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan. The last bilateral series between the two nations took place in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a brief white-ball series. India has not played a bilateral series in Pakistan since 2006, and the last time an Indian cricket team visited Pakistan was during the 2008 Asia Cup.
This World Cup visit to India will be Pakistan’s first since the 2016 T20 World Cup. For all but one player, left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who was part of the 2016 squad, it will be their first trip to India.
In conclusion, Pakistan’s World Cup preparations have faced a setback due to visa delays, reflecting the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan and the challenges in organizing cricket events between the two nations. The cricketing world will be closely watching to see if the visa issues are resolved in time for Pakistan to participate in the tournament as scheduled.
