PCB demands India visa assurance for T20 World Cup

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani on Sunday revealed that the board has asked International Cricket Council (ICC) to provide written confirmation that players, fans and journalists will be given visas for the ICC T20 Word Cup scheduled later this year in India.

Talking to media at a press conference after the PCB Board of Governors (BoG) meeting in Karachi, the 75-year-old said that the cricket body has a meeting with ICC on Monday and they will raise the issue again.

“I have told the PCB Board of Governors that we have asked the ICC that we need written confirmation that our players, fans and journalists in particular will be issued visas,” he said.

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“I have already taken up this issue with the ICC and tomorrow I have a virtual meeting with the world body and will raise this again.”

Mani, who held the conference along with PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and National High Performance Centre (NHPC) Director Nadeem Khan, said that ICC have assured us that we would get the confirmation this month as it’s our constitutional right.

“Now the T20 World Cup will either be held in India with full protocols or it will have to be shifted anywhere else,” the chairman said.

Mani highlighted that India is facing multiple issues regarding hosting the mega event including Pakistan’s visa issue, tax exemption and Covid-19 situation. “It seems that India is being hit by another Covid spike,” he said.

“ICC have already decided in its contingency plan if the event cannot be organised in India then it will be held in the UAE. The ICC management wants to decide about the matter by March 31.”

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