Cricket World Cup 2023: Pakistan team arrives in India after 7 years, to play NZ in warm up match on Friday

Pakistan, who will play a warm-up game at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, against New Zealand, on Friday, will begin their campaign here only.

Hyderabad: The Babar Azam-led Pakistan team arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted by India on Wednesday evening.

Pakistan, who will play a warm up game at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal, against New Zealand, on Friday, will begin their campaign here only against Netherlands on October 6.

The Pakistan squad, which has four players, who will play their first ICC tournament, left for Hyderabad from Lahore via Dubai. Pakistan had last won the ODI Cricket World Cup in 1992 when they were led by charismatic skipper Imran Khan. Pakistan is coming to India after 2016, when the Men in Green took part in the ICC T20 World Cup.

Due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan only play in Asia Cup and ICC tournaments and do not play in bi-lateral series. Pakistani players will only get a day's time to prepare themselves ahead of their warm up game, which is now being played behind closed doors.

Only Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Ali Agha have visited India for cricket. Babar could not played the T20 World Cup in India in 2016 due to an injury.

Apart from Hyderabad where they will also take on Sri Lanka, Pakistan will play at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad against India (October 14), M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru against Australia (October 20), MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai against Afghanistan (October 23) and South Africa (October 27), Eden Gardens against Bangladesh (October 31), M Chinnaswamy Stadium against New Zealand (November 4) and Eden Gardens against England (November 11).

Before departing for India, skipper Babar Azam had said, "If we lose, we lose as a team and when we win, we win as a team. The entire team is like a family and there is love and respect there."

"The BCCI has assured the ICC that all teams will be provided the best security and will be well looked after so I don't expect anything different for our team. I don't think our team will face any issues in India," head of PCB management committee Zaka Ashraf had told reporters before team's departure. (With PTI inputs)