The Pakistani government approved the senior men’s team’s travel to India for the 2023 World Cup on Sunday but said that it has some security-related concerns and will convey them to the ICC and BCCI.
“Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics. Therefore, it has decided to send its Cricket Team to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” a foreign ministry said.
“Pakistan believes that the state of bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of fulfilling its international sports-related obligations,” the statement read.
For the Asia Cup, which is set to start on August 31, India has decided against travelling to Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s decision shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-à-vis India’s intransigent attitude, as the latter had refused to send its Cricket Team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup,” it said.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said that it has concerns regarding the security of its cricket squad during the tournament and will convey them to the International Cricket Council and the Indian government.
However, this year’s spectators may expect to see a lot of India-Pakistan matches because the two teams are paired together in the Asia Cup’s “Group A” and may face each other three times. The World Cup match between the two teams is planned for October 15 in Ahmedabad, but the date may alter for security reasons.
