Top Pakistani athletes like Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and captain Babar Azam expressed thanks for the reception the team received when they arrived in India. The Men in Green were welcomed by a huge crowd in Hyderabad for their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign.
Men in Green made their first trip to India since 2016 on Wednesday, travelling to Hyderabad under heavy security in advance of the seven-week World Cup.
Excited fans clapped and chanted the name of the team captain, Babar Azam, when the Pakistanis arrived at the airport in the southern Indian city in preparation for the ODI tournament, which begins on October 5. The throng were restrained by police.
The Pakistani captain wrote on Instagram that he was “overwhelmed with the love and support here in Hyderabad!”
Shaheen Afridi, a well-known pacer, on the other side, sent a message on his social media account saying, “Great welcome thus far!”
Additionally, when they arrived in Hyderabad, the fans’ reaction “amazed” Rizwan.
Babar Azam-led Pakistan Cricket Team in India
Two nations are fierce rivals and have had political conflicts for a long time.
The teams only compete against one another in international competitions, and the games are frequently held in non-English-speaking nations.
The competition consists of 48 games played over 46 days at 10 different venues, with the championship match scheduled for November 19.
Pakistan is scheduled to play two exhibition games in Hyderabad, against New Zealand on September 29 and Australia on October 3.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that the first warm-up will be a closed door match “per the advice of the local security agencies” because large crowds are anticipated for a Hindu festival on Friday.
In the almost 130,000-seat Ahmedabad Stadium, Pakistan will play the Netherlands in their World Cup opener before taking on India on October 14.
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