India’s Ministry of External Affairs has issued a steadfast response to Pakistan’s plea for heightened security measures for their cricket team’s forthcoming participation in the ICC World Cup scheduled later this year in India.
Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, made it explicitly clear that the Pakistani team would not receive any preferential security treatment. “Our stance remains consistent: the Pakistan Team holds equal significance to any other participating team. No special privileges will be granted; however, we ensure that adequate security coverage will be extended whenever necessary,” the official emphasized.
In recent days, Pakistan’s government provided the green light for its national cricket squad to compete in the highly anticipated World Cup, slated for October to November in India. “Pakistan has always championed the separation of sports and politics. Accordingly, it has resolved to dispatch its cricket contingent to India for the impending ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an official press release.
Nevertheless, the Ministry expressed apprehensions regarding the security arrangements for the team within Indian borders.
Pakistan’s World Cup journey is scheduled to kick off on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The team’s schedule for the event comprises a series of exhilarating matches, including encounters with Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England.
Matches will be categorized into day and day-night fixtures, with daytime games commencing at 10:00 AM Pakistan Standard Time (PST), and the latter starting at 01:30 PM PST.
Should Pakistan secure a spot in the semi-finals, the venue will be Kolkata. Similarly, if India reaches the semi-finals, the location will be Mumbai, unless the opponents are Pakistan, in which case the match will be hosted in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will adopt a round-robin format, necessitating all participating teams to compete against each other in 45 league matches. The top four teams from this league stage will advance to the semi-finals, slated for November 15 in Mumbai and November 16 in Kolkata. To account for any unexpected circumstances, the semi-finals, as well as the final match, will have designated reserve days.
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