No VIP treatment for Pakistan at ODI World Cup despite PCB demanding extra security, confirms Ministry of External Affairs 

Pakistan Cricket Board recently confirmed its team's participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

No VIP treatment for Pakistan at ODI World Cup despite PCB demanding extra security, confirms Ministry of External Affairs 

Pakistan Cricket Team (Image via NDTV Sports)

India’s External Affairs Ministry on Saturday confirmed that there will be no special treatment for the Pakistan cricket team as it comes to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup and that it will be treated like any other participating team. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a lot of time before confirming their team’s participation in the quadrennial showpiece event being hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

PCB cited security concerns for their delay in confirmation and the board wants some special security for their players as they travel across India during the course of the tournament. However, the External Affairs Ministry has played down the possibility of any such step by India. 

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MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Babar Azam and Co. will be treated like any other team. “The Pakistan cricket team will be treated just like the cricket team of any other country participating in the ICC World Cup,” said Bagchi (via The Indian Express).

“Of course, we would hope that all necessary security will be provided not just to them but to all other participating teams.” “I hope that there is a good match and I hope this is not war as it seems to be made out to be,” he added.

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Pakistan to open their campaign against Netherlands at 2023 ODI World Cup

pakistan team
ODI World Cup trophy, Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam (Images via HT, Sportstar)

Pakistan will open their campaign at the 2023 ODI World Cup against the Netherlands on 7 October. The match will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The Men in Green will then host Sri Lanka at the same venue on 10 October. In their third league stage game, Pakistan will lock horns with arch-rivals India on 14 October at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

It is expected to be a cracker of a contest with almost 1 lakh cricket fans watching the game from the stadium. The pressure will be humongous on both teams as a defeat against their arch-rivals is not taken so well by the fans. 

Nevertheless, talking about Pakistan’s other games in the group stage, they will face Australia on 20 October, Afghanistan on 23rd, South Africa on 27, and Bangladesh on 31st. Pakistan’s last two group-stage games will be against New Zealand and England on 4 and 7 November respectively.

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