The PAK vs NZ World Cup 2023 warm-up match scheduled for September 29 in Hyderabad, will take place without fans due to lack of adequate security cover. The BCCI on Monday released an official statement and confirmed that the warm up game will be played without spectators “as per the advice of the local security agencies”.
HCA’s request for revised World Cup schedule denied by BCCI
Earlier, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) had requested BCCI to revise the World Cup schedule. The reason behind the demand was the issue to provide adequate security due to the Ganesh Visarjan and Milan-Un-Nabi festivals.
However, with the tournament schedule already adjusted, the organizers were unable to accept the request.
Notably, IND vs PAK match was set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15. But the game was preponed by a day due to the first day of the Navratri festival.
Security agencies had previously expressed concerns about two consecutive World Cup league matches scheduled in Hyderabad. The match on October 10 will feature Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while the game on the 9th will pit New Zealand against the Netherlands. Approximately 3,000 police personnel needs to be deployed for each match, with a significant number stationed at the hotel.
According to reports, the police notified the HCA that they won’t be able to provide adequate security for the PAK vs SL game if NZ vs NED takes place on the scheduled day.
However, the BCCI refused to make any further changes to the revised schedule leaving the Hyderabad in a fix.
| Date | Day | Team 1 | Team 2 | City | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | Friday | Pakistan | Netherlands | Hyderabad | Pak won by 81 runs |
| Oct 10 | Tuesday | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | Hyderabad | Pak won by 6 wickets |
| Oct 14 | Saturday | India | Pakistan | Ahmedabad | India won by 7 wickets |
| Oct 20 | Friday | Australia | Pakistan | Bengaluru | Aus won by 62 runs |
| Oct 23 | Monday | Pakistan | Afghanistan | Chennai | Pak lost by 8 wickets |
| Oct 27 | Friday | Pakistan | South Africa | Chennai | Pak lost by 1-wicket |
| Oct 31 | Tuesday | Pakistan | Bangladesh | Kolkata | Pak won by 7-wickets |
| Nov 4 | Saturday | New Zealand | Pakistan | Bengaluru | Pakistan won by 21 runs via DLS |
| Nov 11 | Saturday | England | Pakistan | Kolkata | 2:00 PM |
