World Cup 2023: Visa delay hamper Pakistan's preparations

Pakistan's pre-World Cup team-bonding trip to Dubai has been canceled due to unforeseen delays in obtaining travel visas for their visit to India in order to participate in the mega-event that is about to commence next month.

The initial plan for the Pakistan team was to depart for the UAE next week, spending a few days there before heading to Hyderabad. This was in preparation for their inaugural warm-up match against New Zealand scheduled for September 29.

However, due to ongoing visa delays, the team is now set to depart from Lahore to Dubai early next Wednesday and then proceed to Hyderabad for their preparations. 

This unforeseen situation has raised concerns within the team, highlighting the complexities and challenges surrounding travel and diplomacy between Pakistan and India.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan is the sole team among the nine sides traveling to India for the World Cup still awaiting visas, shedding light on the strained political relations between the neighboring nations. Obtaining visas for travel between these countries has historically been a challenging and often lengthy process.

Venturing across the border for cricket has become infrequent. Since Pakistan's visit to India for a white-ball series in 2012-13, there hasn't been a bilateral series where either team has traveled to the other's country.

This particular visit in 2012-13 was an exception amidst a consistent decline in relations between the two nations since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. In the past decade, Pakistan has only toured India once, which was for the T20 World Cup in March 2016.

It is worth noting that only two players from Pakistan's current squad have prior experience playing cricket in India. Mohammad Nawaz was part of Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad in 2016, and Agha Salman represented Lahore Lions in the Champions League T20.