World Cup 2023: Pakistan is sending a security delegation to India to inspect the venues for the 2023 World Cup. The delegation will be looking at the security arrangements for the matches that Pakistan will be playing in India, including the high-profile India-Pakistan match. The delegation is expected to visit the venues in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.
The decision to send the security delegation comes after Pakistan had requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate two of its matches in India due to security concerns. However, the ICC rejected Pakistan’s request.
The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the most intense and passionate in all of sports. The two teams have faced each other 203 times in all formats, with Pakistan winning 88 matches and India winning 72. India has a better record in ODIs, having won 55 of the 132 matches played, while Pakistan has won 73. However, India has a perfect record in World Cup matches against Pakistan, having won all seven encounters.
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According to a source in the Inter-Provincial Coordination Sports Ministry: “The security delegation will go with representation from the PCB to inspect the venues where Pakistan will play and also the security and other arrangements made for them in the World Cup,”
“The delegation will interact with the officials there and discuss and inspect with them the security and other arrangements for our players, officials, fans and media, who will go for the tournament,” he added.
Talking about the transparency on hte whole matter he said: “The PCB will share the report with the ICC and BCCI if the delegation has any concerns.”
Pakistan has not played a bilateral cricket series in India since 2012 due to political tensions between the two countries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that it will not send its team to Pakistan until security concerns are addressed. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it is willing to play in India, but the BCCI has not responded to its offer.
The last time Pakistan played a bilateral series in India was in 2012, when they lost the Test series 2-1 and the ODI series 3-2. The two teams have also met in ICC tournaments, most recently in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where India defeated Pakistan by 89 runs.
The political tensions between India and Pakistan have been ongoing for many years, and they have led to a number of sporting boycotts. In 2008, India refused to play Pakistan in the Champions Trophy after the Mumbai terrorist attacks. In 2014, Pakistan refused to play India in the World Twenty20 after the Pathankot terrorist attack.
The 2023 World Cup will be held in India from October 7 to November 23. It will be the first time that India has hosted the World Cup since 2011.