Monitoring Desk
NEW DELHI: Indian Ministry of External Affairs said Friday that Pakistan’s national cricket team would get no special treatment and that it would be treated just like any other team visiting India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The statement from the ministry’s spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came after the Pakistani government cleared its national side to take part in the impending ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
“The Pakistan cricket team will be treated just like the cricket team of any other country participating in the ICC World Cup,” said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
Talking about the security arrangements, the MEA spokesperson said that all the necessary arrangements will be made and it would apply to all the participating countries not just Pakistan.
“Of course, we would hope that all necessary security will be provided not just to them but to all other participating teams.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that Pakistan always believed in good sporting relations between the two countries and it did not mix sports with politics, which became the primary reason why Pakistan would travel to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which starts on October 5 in Ahmedabad.
“I hope that there is a good match and I hope this is not war as it seems to be made out to be,” said Mr Arindam Bagchi.
Pakistan had constituted a high-level committee which included foreign minister and chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board among others, to give a detailed report following its due diligence on whether they should participate in the global cricket event or not.
The committee was to directly report to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who then would make a final call on the basis of the report.
“Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics. It has, therefore, decided to send its cricket team to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” a press release on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is slated to commence on October 5 in Ahmedabad with the finalists of the 2019 World Cup event – England and New Zealand – locking horns.
Meanwhile, Pakistan would begin its campaign a day after the tournament opener against Netherlands in Hyderabad.
The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan game will be held on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Notably, the fixture was earlier scheduled to be held on October 15, however, due to security concerns the necessary changes were made by the responsible authorities.
Here is Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 12 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 15 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures and will begin at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
