PCB chief to travel to Ahmedabad for Pakistan-India clash on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket chief Zaka Ashraf will travel to India tomorrow, Thursday, ahead of Pakistan’s fixture against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, the PCB said in a statement.
In recent weeks, the Pakistan Cricket Board has repeatedly expressed its disappointment over a delay in visa clearance for Pakistani fans and media. On Thursday, the PCB said Ashraf’s decision to travel to India came after it was confirmed that Pakistani journalists had been asked by Indian authorities to submit their passports for visas to cover the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023.
Around 60 Pakistani journalists are expected to make the trip for the World Cup.
“I have delayed my travel to India, and I am traveling tomorrow after receiving confirmation that Pakistan’s journalists have been asked to submit their passports to obtain visas to cover the mega event,” Ashraf was quoted by the PCB as saying. “I am happy that my conversation with the foreign office helped in achieving a positive development regarding the visa delay.”
“I am traveling to India to motivate the team, and my message to them before the India contest will be to play fearlessly as they have been playing throughout the event,” Ashraf added.
Visas for the Pakistan team were granted barely 48 hours before they left for what is their first tour of India since the T20 World Cup in 2016.
Cricket has been a victim of a soured political relationship between the neighbors and bitter rivals, who play each other only in multi-team events like the World Cup.
Pakistan had plenty of local support for their World Cup fixtures against Netherlands on Friday and Sri Lanka on Tuesday but no member of their media contingent or fans were present.