LAHORE: Pakistan’s warm-up match against New Zealand ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2023 will take place behind closed doors over “security concerns” in Hyderabad, India.
The decision to hold the warm-up match between the Green Shirts and the Kiwis will be held without spectators after the Hyderabad city police — citing two major religious festivals, Ganesh Visarjan and Eid Milad-un-Nabi in the city — expressed their inability to provide adequate security for the match scheduled for the match scheduled to be held on September 29, Indian media reported.
According to an official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), “The processions will go on late into the night and the local police would not be able to provide adequate security for a match of this scale. There will continue to be full security for both the teams during their stay and transit to the stadium.”
The BCCI, in collaboration with the hosting association and ticketing partners, will arrange for ticket refunds for the affected spectators.
Previously, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) had requested a change in the schedule for back-to-back matches scheduled for October 9 and 10, involving New Zealand-Netherlands and Pakistan-Sri Lanka, respectively, in the city due to security concerns raised by local police. Although a late change in dates was not feasible, security authorities have accommodated this request.
It must be noted that Pakistan is set to play a total of eleven matches in the World Cup, with four of them, including two warm-up matches and two group games, scheduled to take place in Hyderabad.
The Men in Green are expected to arrive in Hyderabad via Dubai on September 27.
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