Pakistan vs New Zealand ODI World Cup 2023 warm-up match set to be played with no crowd in Hyderabad

The stage is set for the upcoming ODI World Cup which is set to be kicked off on October 5. The first match of the tournament will be played between the 2019 World Cup finalists England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, the much-awaited contest will be between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan which will be played on October 14.

The Men in Green are set to depart on September 25 and will be reaching India by September 27. They will be playing their warmup match against New Zealand on September 29 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. However, according to some reports, it is heard that there will be no crowd in the match.

The reason behind this is the lack of adequate security due to which the officials have decided to let the match happen without any crowd. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn’t reacted to the news yet but it is believed that they may criticise this decision of the officials. 

Fans to get refund who have booked tickets

Many fans have bought tickets for the warm-up match but unfortunately, they won’t get to see the match. The Indian Cricket Board has issued a statement regarding this and said that the game will be played without spectators and the fans who have booked tickets will get their money back soon.

“The game will be played without spectators and those who have booked their tickets, their money will be refunded,” an Indian Cricket Board official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The city police have already asked the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to postpone the game as they are unable to provide enough security for the match due to multiple festivals like Ganesh Visarjan and Milan-Un-Nabi. However, it was impossible for the organisers to postpone the reason as the schedule was already made.