The uncertainty over Pakistan’s participation in the 2021 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India later this year, has finally cleared as the Indian government has decided to grant visas to the Pakistan cricketers for the showpiece event.
As per reports, Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), informed the Apex Council about the government’s decision.
AFter the development, the Babar Azam-led Green Brigade will now not face any problems regarding playing in India later this year.
“The visa issue of Pakistan cricket team has been sorted. However, whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear. It will be decided in due course of time. However, we had promised ICC that it will be sorted. The secretary announced during the meeting,” a member of the Apex Council was quoted as saying in India Today.
Earlier, Ehsan Mani, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, had demanded a written assurance from the ICC that India will grant visas to Pakistan players for event. He had also said that Pakistan would be going for the tournament with full protocols or the event should be shifted to some other venue.
“I have informed the board that the BCCI was supposed to give us visa assurances by 31st December but that didn’t happen because their President, Sourav Ganguly was twice hospitalised,” he had said at the media conference.
“But I have now again taken up this matter with the ICC and am in touch with them. I also have another virtual conference with them tomorrow on this issue. The ICC has told us that we will get our written confirmation by the end of next month,” he added.
Meanwhile, in an another crucial development, the BCCI has decided on nine venues- Dharamsala, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Hyderabad- for the T20 World Cup.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is likely to host the final.