Days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it is being reported has written a letter to the Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the interior and the foreign ministry seeking a travel clearance for the marquee event in India in October-November. The letter, it is being learnt, has sought advice from the government on whether the team should travel to India and whether there are any apprehensions about any of the five venues where the Pakistan men's cricket team led by Babar Azam are to play their matches. The much-anticipated India vs Pakistan is scheduled at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15.
In addition, PCB has also asked the government whether it plans to send any security delegation to India in advance before the team tours India. It is pertinent to note that while such a clearance is not mandatory in case of a tour to any other country, it is essential before travelling to India due to the tensed cross-border relation between the two nations. Furthermore, while the government does not have any deadline to respond the PCB will not travel as long as it gets a nod from the government.
"Soon after the World Cup schedule was announced last Tuesday, we wrote to our Patron, Honourable Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, through the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry, copying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior, requesting clearance to participate in the World Cup," the PCB told ESPNcricinfo.
"The decision to visit India and approve venues at which we can play our matches is the prerogative of the Government of Pakistan. We have absolute trust in the judgment of our government and will follow whatever is advised. It is entirely up to the Government of Pakistan the process it wants to formulate and follow before advising us on the next steps. If this requires sending an advance team to India to inspect the venues and hold meetings with the event organisers, then it will solely be the government's decision," it added.
Despite the World Cup fixtures having been announced last week, Pakistan have not committed their participation which they will do only after the green light from the government.