Pakistan gets visas for Cricket World Cup in India after expressing concerns to ICC

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has received its visas for next month's World Cup in India after expressing concerns to the International Cricket Council over delays and complaining about “inequitable treatment”.

The team is scheduled to leave for Hyderabad, via Dubai, in the early hours of Wednesday and Pakistan Cricket Board spokesperson Umar Farooq said his organization had received confirmation from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad late on Monday to collect their passports.

Eighteen Pakistan players and 15 support staff are due to travel to India.

Earlier, the PCB had expressed its disappointment with the ICC over the delays.

“It’s a matter of disappointment the Pakistan team has to go through this uncertainty ahead of the major tournament,” Farooq said in a statement.

“There has been an extraordinary delay in getting clearance and securing Indian visas … we have written to the ICC raising our concerns about inequitable treatment towards Pakistan and reminding them of these obligations towards the World Cup.”

Farooq said Pakistan had reminded the ICC governing body for three years about its obligations but it “has all come down to the last two days”.

The PCB was forced to cancel its original plan to organize a team-building process in Dubai on the way to India. “We had to rework our plan and book new flights,” Farooq said.

Pakistan is due to play New Zealand in Hyderabad on Friday before taking on Australia in another warm-up on Oct. 3.

It launches its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Oct. 6.