KOLKATA: The Pakistan cricket team finally reached the Indian city of Kolkata on Saturday evening to take part in the ICC World Twenty20. The 27-member Pakistan cricket contingent arrived in Kolkata from Abu Dhabi.
According to reports, former Indian captain and West Bengal Cricket Association chief Sourav Ganguly greeted the Pakistani team at the Kolkata Airport, where tight security arrangements were in place.
The Pakistani team was later escorted to the Taj Hotel amidst tight security.
Due to delay in arrival, the Pakistan team missed out on a warm-up match against Bengal, which was scheduled for Saturday. Shahid Afridi’s men will now play the only warm-up match against Sri Lanka today before formally launching their world cup campaign on March 16 against the qualifier (either Bangladesh or Oman).
The green shirts will then take on arch-rivals India on March 19 at Eden Garden in Kolkata. The much-anticipated March 19 clash was shifted to Kolkata from Dharamsala over security concerns.
After playing two matches at Eden Garden, Pakistan will travel to Mohali to take on New Zealand and Australia on March 26 and 29 respectively.