In a surprising turn of events, the upcoming World Cup warm-up match between Pakistan and New Zealand, scheduled for September 29, will be played without spectators. The decision to hold the match behind closed doors at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is due to concerns related to the security cover, particularly in light of festival schedules.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that it will instruct Bookmyshow, the ticketing partner for the World Cup, to issue refunds to those who have already purchased tickets for the game.
A BCCI official confirmed this development, stating, “The game will be played without spectators, and those who have booked their tickets will be refunded.”
The decision to prohibit fans from attending the match comes after city police requested the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to postpone the game. This request was made due to the unavailability of sufficient security resources, as the police are committed to overseeing the Ganesh Visarjan and Milan-Un-Nabi festivals, both concluding on September 28. With the match schedule already adjusted, the organizers were unable to accommodate the police request, leading to the decision to play the match without spectators.
Earlier, security agencies had raised concerns regarding two consecutive World Cup 2023 league matches scheduled for October 9 and October 10 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The October 10th match will feature Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while the game on the 9th is set between New Zealand and Netherlands. Approximately 3,000 police personnel will be deployed for each game, with a substantial number stationed at the hotel where the Pakistan team will be accommodated.
The original itinerary for the 2023 World Cup has already undergone significant changes, with as many as nine games being rescheduled. For instance, the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match, initially scheduled for October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, had to be moved forward by a day to avoid a clash with the Navratri festival celebrated in Gujarat.
Similarly, the Pakistan-England fixture, originally planned for November 12 in Kolkata, coincided with the Kali Puja festival in Bengal. Consequently, this game has been rescheduled for November 11.
These modifications prompted further adjustments to ensure fair gaps between fixtures, allowing teams to accommodate travel, rest, and training between matches.
The ICC World Cup is scheduled to commence on October 5 in Ahmedabad, and cricket enthusiasts will eagerly await this prestigious event despite the absence of spectators from the warm-up match between Pakistan and New Zealand.