Pakistan pre-World Cup team-bonding vacation to Dubai has been derailed by a visa processing delay, in a plot turn that might even top the most gripping cricket matches. The Pakistan cricket team’s original flying plans called for them to land in the UAE early the following week, where they would spend a short time before continuing on to Hyderabad, India. All of this is done in anticipation of their opening exhibition game against New Zealand on September 29. The visa issue, however, has forced a modification to the plan, thus the cricketing story has taken an unexpected turn.
With Pakistan getting ready to leave Lahore with the intention of flying to Dubai on a Wednesday morning, the drama is intensifying as it plays out.
In the hopes that the elusive visas will arrive in time, they will then set out on their trek to Hyderabad. Even if one cricket official may have called the situation “alarming,” there seems to be a general sense of hope that the visas will eventually be issued, allowing Pakistan to take part in the World Cup’s cricketing extravaganza. The urgency of the situation is highlighted by the fact that the visa applications were initiated more than a week ago.
Pakistan is the only cricket-playing nation among the teams travelling to India for the World Cup, and ESPN cricinfo’s article has shed light on this odd situation. Pakistan is still stuck in a visa waiting game. The complex and tense political environment that the team is navigating as they enter Indian territory is harshly highlighted by this delay.
The cricket suffered as a result of the intense political unrest between the nations.
It is now unusual to see these border crossings between these close neighbours. The last bilateral series between the two countries took place in 2012–2013 when Pakistan visited India for a white-ball match. Even that meeting was an outlier, taking place against the backdrop of tense ties in the wake of the horrific Mumbai attacks in November 2008. Since then, Pakistan’s trips to India have been few, with their most recent taking place in March 2016 during the T20 World Cup.
Furthermore, as was seen during the most recent Asia Cup, the political system’s intricate intricacies have even impacted cricket’s playing field. Even though they were the designated hosts, Pakistan could only host four games since the Indian team was not allowed to enter the border. An inventive solution developed by the creative thinking of former PCB chief Najam Sethi resulted in the majority of the tournament being held in Sri Lanka.
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