NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup plans have taken a dramatic turn, with the team already scheduled to depart for Colombo on Monday, despite continued uncertainty over their participation in the tournament scheduled for February 7 to March 8. According to reports, final contact will be made before the team boards the plane.Push boundaries with your YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“Despite the uncertainty over their participation in the World Cup, the Pakistan team, along with the Australian team, will travel to Colombo from Lahore on an Air Lanka flight,” a source told Telecom Asia Sports. The official added that transparency is imminent. “We hope that by Friday, PCB Secretary Mohsin Naqvi will allow the team to participate in this mega event.”
Naqvi had earlier cast doubt on Pakistan’s participation after the International Cricket Council rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to shift World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka citing safety concerns. Protesting Bangladesh’s expulsion from the tournament, the PCB chief raised the possibility of Pakistan not participating.Naqvi also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad earlier this week and sought his guidance. Sources told Telecomasia.net that while the prime minister supported Pakistan’s stance in supporting Bangladesh, he advised against a boycott due to the potential economic impact.
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“Nakvi also received advice from President Asif Zardari and the military authorities before meeting former PCB chairman Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja,” sources told Telecom Asia Sports, adding that both former chiefs supported sending a team to Sri Lanka and “also advised them not to boycott the Indian matches.”Preparations continue on the ground amid political and administrative uncertainty. Pakistan are scheduled to face Australia in a three-match T20I series starting Thursday in Lahore and players have been asked to remain focused.A source said, “All players have been told they must remain positive about participating in the World Cup.” “Some players from Khyber Pakhtankhwa have brought all their belongings with the possibility of leaving the country for more than a month.”