Pakistan will send a security group to India to evaluate World Cup grounds in 2023. Pakistan is planning to send a security crew to India to check the venues before allowing the national team to travel to the neighbouring country for this year’s ICC One-Day International World Cup.
According to an official source in the Inter-Provincial Coordination (Sports) Ministry, the government, including the foreign and interior ministries, would determine when to send the security delegation to India after the election of the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board during the Eid vacations.
“The security delegation will go to inspect the venues where Pakistan will play, as well as the security and other arrangements made for them in the World Cup,” he said.
He stated that the delegation would travel to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, which will host the prestigious India-Pakistan encounter on October 15.
“Before any tour to India, it is standard practice for the cricket board to seek permission from the government, which normally sends a delegation to India,” said the official.
“The delegation will interact with the officials there, discussing and inspecting the security and other arrangements for our players, officials, fans, and media who will be attending the tournament,” he said.
He stated that if the delegation believes it would be better for Pakistan to play at a different location rather than the scheduled one, it will include that information in its report.
“If the delegation has any concerns,” he said, “the PCB will share the report with the ICC and BCCI.” A PCB source stated that the last time Pakistan visited India for the T20 World Cup, the government dispatched a combined committee to evaluate the grounds.
“The delegation recommended that Pakistan’s match against India be moved from Dharamsala to Kolkata.” According to the source, Pakistan’s definitive confirmation of participation in the World Cup will be confirmed only when the government gets clearance to the PCB.
“This is not unusual, and it is standard practice for all India tours.” Even in other sports, the respective national federations must obtain government approval before sending their teams to India for any competition.”
Pakistan Hockey Federation is awaiting permission to send a squad to the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in August, while the national football team recently competed in the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru after receiving a last-minute NOC from government organisations. From October 5 to November 19, the ODI World Cup will be held in ten Indian cities.
