KARACHI: Indian government has approved the request to issue visas to the Pakistan team and journalists for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, penciled in October-November this year.
According to the Indian media, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) got approval for visas to the Pakistan team and journalists in their general council meeting. The decision regarding issuing visas to Pakistani fans will be taken later on. It must be noted here that the qualifying round for the mega event will take place firstly with teams divided into two groups. Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman are placed in Group A whereas Bangladesh, Holland, Namibia, and Scotland will compete in Group B.
For the main event, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, and two qualifying teams are part of Group 1 whereas India, South Africa, Afghanistan, England, and two qualifying teams are placed in Group 2. Two top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals followed by the mega final, scheduled on November 15. The tournament is most likely to be played with COVID-19 protocols being enforced. The Decision regarding the crowd will be taken after monitoring the situation closer to the time.