ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan Cricket Team will travel for India tonight after the federal government granted permission to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to send the team to India for the ICC World T20 2016.
The decision to allow the team to go to India was made after the Indian authorities in written letter assured special security measures for Pakistan team followed by the meeting between the Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the Chairman Executive Committee of PCB Najam Sethi in Islamabad.
Talking to media after meeting with the interior minister, Sethi told that the government has allowed Cricket team to leave for Twenty20 Cricket World Cup being played in India.
Najam Sethi said that India has guaranteed security for Pakistan Cricket Team. He said that team will leave for India tonight or tomorrow.
Sethi said that all the preparations for the team’s departure are complete.
Meanwhile, the PCB Chairman Shehryar Khan told media in Lahore that Pakistan Cricket Team would leave for India tonight and reach Kolkata on Saturday evening. He said the team will not be able to play the first warm up match due to its late arrival there. However, the team will play its warm-up match with Sri Lanka.
Earlier, the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee in writing guaranteed foolproof security to the Pakistan team while the Indian Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh also said that “anybody coming to India will be provided security. There is no doubt about it”.
Pakistan will begin its formal journey in the T20 World Cup with the match on March 16 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the same venue which will host the match between Pakistan and India on March 19.
The national team will also play its two matches at the Punjab Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Mohali on March 22 against New Zealand and on March 25 against Australia.
