India to issue visas to Pakistani cricket team for ICC T20 World Cup: report

Published April 17, 2021
In this file photo, the Pakistan team pose for a photograph after winning the series after the third one-day international (ODI) match between South Africa and Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion on April 7. — AFP/File
In this file photo, the Pakistan team pose for a photograph after winning the series after the third one-day international (ODI) match between South Africa and Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion on April 7. — AFP/File

The Pakistani cricket team will not face difficulty in travelling across the border for the ICC T20 World Cup in October as the Indian government is set to grant visas to the players, several Indian media outlets reported on Saturday.

According to a report carried by The Hindu, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah has informed the Apex Council about the government's decision on giving visas to the Pakistan players.

"The visa issue of Pakistan cricket team has been sorted. However whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear," an Apex Council member told Press Trust of India on conditions of anonymity, according to the report.

The official added that the matter will be decided in due course. "However we had promised ICC that it will be sorted," the official said.

Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo reported that the event will be staged across nine venues, with Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium hosting the final.

Other venues are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dharamsala and Lucknow, the report added.

Read: Everlasting charm of Pakistan-India cricket rivalry

Earlier in February, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani had said Pakistan would push for this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) if India didn't provide a written assurance that the national cricket team, its fans and journalists will be granted visas for the event.

Speaking to reporters in Lahore, he had stated the board had communicated these intentions to the International Cricket Council.

“There is a need to change the ‘Big Three’ mindset,” Mani had said. “We are not seeking written assurance for the visas of the national team only, but for the fans, officials and journalists as well."

“The BCCI lures other cricket boards through money," Mani had alleged, adding that the PCB had made its intentions clear to stakeholders — within and outside the country — that "we plan to run our cricket without India".

Opinion

Editorial

Sindh lawlessness
29 Nov, 2023

Sindh lawlessness

GOVERNMENTS come and go, but little has been done to control rampant crime across Sindh, particularly its lawless...
New compact
29 Nov, 2023

New compact

AS elections approach ever closer without any tangible improvement in the political atmosphere, there has been a...
Climate crossroads
Updated 29 Nov, 2023

Climate crossroads

As Pakistan presents its case at COP28, the focus must be on ensuring that the L&D fund.
Climate resilience
28 Nov, 2023

Climate resilience

It is critical to ensure climate resilience of the economy through sound climate-related public investment management.
Condemned to die
28 Nov, 2023

Condemned to die

ANOTHER day in Kohistan, another jirga-mandated murder of a girl. Her ‘crime’: dancing with boys in a video that...
Price of politics
28 Nov, 2023

Price of politics

THE big parties are not at all shy about the high price they have set on political ambition. According to a recent...