Initially, the team led by Babar Azam was scheduled to depart for the UAE next week for a brief stay, before heading to Hyderabad for their first warm-up match against New Zealand on September 29.

Pakistan’s inaugural warm-up match against New Zealand will be conducted behind closed doors in Hyderabad. The reason cited was the lack of assurance from the police for adequate security measures, coinciding with two major religious festivals in the city on the same day.

While an unnamed official has described the situation as “alarming”, there is a widespread belief that the visas will be granted in time, ESPNcricinfo reported. Pakistan applied for the visas more than a week ago. Among the nine teams travelling to India for the World Cup, Pakistan is the only squad still awaiting visa clearance.

The PCB earlier proposed that Pakistan’s World Cup matches be played outside of India, possibly in Bangladesh. This proposal, which came up for consideration earlier in 2023, was not considered and was eventually dismissed in August when the Pakistani government greenlit the team’s travel to India.

Meanwhile, India have secured a significant boost by clinching a 5-wicket victory against Australia. This win on September 22 catapulted them to the coveted position of the world’s number one ODI team, overtaking Pakistan.

Presently holding the top spot, India boast an impressive rating of 116, amassing a total of 4,864 points. This achievement is poised to infuse even greater confidence into the team, especially considering their dominating performance against Australia in the inaugural ODI match at Mohali Cricket Stadium.

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Updated: 23 Sep 2023, 01:09 PM IST