PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi with Pakistani cricketers. (Image credit: PCB) NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s World Twenty20 plans have taken a dramatic turn, with the team already booked to fly to Colombo on Monday, even as uncertainty over their participation in the tournament, which is scheduled from February 7 to March 8, continues. According to the report, the final phone call is expected before the team boards the flight.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“Despite the uncertainty of participation in the World Cup, the Pakistan team is booked with the Australian team to fly to Colombo on an Air Lanka flight from Lahore,” sources told Telecom Asia Sport. The same sources added that clarity is imminent. “We hope that by Friday, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi will confirm the team’s participation in the mega event.”
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Naqvi had earlier questioned Pakistan’s participation after the International Cricket Council rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to move their World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns. In protest at Bangladesh’s expulsion from the event, the PCB chief raised the possibility of Pakistan staying out.Naqvi also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad earlier this week to seek advice. Sources told Telecomasia.net that while the Prime Minister supported Pakistan’s stand to support Bangladesh, he also advised against a boycott because of the potential financial implications.
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“Naqvi also sought advice from President Asif Zardari and the military establishment before meeting former PCB chairmen Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raj,” sources told Telecom Asia Sport, adding that both former chiefs supported sending a team to Sri Lanka and “also advised against boycotting the India game.”Amid political and administrative uncertainty, preparations continue on the ground. Pakistan will take on Australia in the three-match T20I series starting in Lahore on Thursday, with the players asked to remain focused.“All the players have been told to stay positive going into the World Cup,” the source said. “Some players from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa even brought all their luggage, keeping in mind that they might be out of the country for more than a month.
