ICC will get written assurances on visas from India by March: PCB chairman

Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, also said that this year's Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in June, will need to be postponed if India qualifies for the World Test Championships final.

The PCB chief said it was its right to demand assurance, and no one can keep Pakistan out of the World Cup.

Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, said the ICC has told the Pakistan Cricket Board it will get a written assurance from the BCCI by next month that all its players, officials, fans and journalists will be issued visas for the World T20 Cup to be held in India.

Mani also said that the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in June this year, will need to be postponed if India qualifies for the World Test Championships final [at Lord's from June 18]. "I have informed the board that the BCCI was supposed to give us visa assurances by 31st December, but that didn't happen because their president, Sourav Ganguly, was twice hospitalised," he said at a media conference in Karachi.

 

"But I have now again taken up this matter with the ICC and am in touch with them. I also have another virtual conference with them tomorrow (Monday) on this issue. The ICC has told us that we will get our written confirmation by the end of next month."

The upcoming T20 World Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Australia but due to the pandemic, the cycle had been revised giving India rights to host the 2021 event while Australia has been asked to host the 2022 edition.

The PCB chief said it was its right to demand assurance, and no one can keep Pakistan out of the World Cup. "Either we will be going to the World T20 with full protocols, or it will have to be moved elsewhere.

 

"There is also the problem of tax exemption to the ICC for the event and the COVID-19 pandemic situation. As a contingency, the ICC has already decided the World T20 can also be moved to UAE if the need arose," he said.