According to reports, the delegation will reportedlyl visit Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, which will host the marquee India-Pakistan encounter on October 15.
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 practise 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 procedure for all tours to India.” Even in other sports, national federations must obtain government approval before sending teams to India for competition.” The Pakistan Hockey Federation is seeking approval to send its squad to the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in August, while the national football team recently played in the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru only after receiving a last-minute NOC from government organisations.
From October 5 to November 19, the ODI World Cup will be played in ten Indian cities.
