ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday it required government clearance for any tour to India, after the International Cricket Council said India would host Pakistan’s cricket team for the first time in seven years for the 50-over World Cup,.
The tournament will begin on October 5 with holders England taking on New Zealand at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also host the final.
The schedule was announced after weeks of delay due to Pakistan’s refusal to travel to India, but a truce was called after Pakistan agreed to host the Asia Cup in September in a hybrid model.
Though the most-awaited clash between rivals India and Pakistan will be played in Ahmedabad on October 15, after the hosts kick off their campaign against Australia on October 8, the PCB said it still needed a nod from the government.
“The PCB requires the government of Pakistan’s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues,” PCB Communications Director Sami Ul Hasan said in a statement.
“We are liaising with our government for guidance. This position is consistent to what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback.”
Pakistan had earlier expressed reservations about playing in Ahmedabad, the home city of India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the center of deadly 2002 religious riots in which at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in communal violence.
The team will travel to Bengaluru to play Australia on October 20, and onwards to Chennai, where they play Afghanistan on October 23 and South Africa on October 27. Kolkata is the next stop as Pakistan take on Bangladesh on October 31 before traveling back to Bengaluru to face New Zealand on November 4, rounding off their league phase against England in Kolkata on November 12.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had raised concerns over playing in Mumbai and the ICC made sure that Pakistan don’t travel to India’s financial hub.
If Pakistan reach the semifinals, they will play in Kolkata. If India qualify for the last four, they will play their semifinal in Mumbai, unless the match is against Pakistan.
Strained political relations between rivals Pakistan and India have for decades sourced sports ties.
