With less than a week left until their first ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up match, the Pakistan cricket team encountered a visa challenge, forcing them to abandon their pre-tournament team bonding trip to Dubai. The Pakistan team is still awaiting visas for their travel to India, where the ten-team event is scheduled to commence on October 5.
Ahead of the tournament, each team will engage in two warm-up matches. Pakistan’s first warm-up match is slated against New Zealand in Hyderabad on September 29.
According to reports, the Pakistan cricket team originally planned a brief bonding session in Dubai before heading to Hyderabad. However, visa delays have disrupted their plans. Consequently, they’ve opted to fly from Lahore to Dubai on the 27th, en route to Hyderabad for the match in two days. Despite this setback, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) maintains hope that the visas will arrive in time for the warm-up fixture.
Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup has been marked by prolonged complexity. Following months of uncertainty, the team received government clearance in August to travel to India. However, this situation was further complicated by India’s choice to abstain from travelling to Pakistan for this year’s Asia Cup.
Pakistan’s second warm-up game is set for October 3 against Australia, followed by their opening match against the Netherlands on October 6, both to be held in Hyderabad.
The World Cup commences with defending champion England facing off against New Zealand, the last edition’s runner-up, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India will embark on their World Cup campaign against the five-time winners Australia on October 8 at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In this year’s event, a total of 10 teams are participating. Each team will compete against all others, and the top four teams will progress to the semi-finals.