The Canadian Press, January 29, 2011

Cricket Canada continues to wait on Indian visas for three Pakistan-born players, with the start of the World Cup just three weeks ahead. The Canadian team is awaiting the paperwork for Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan and Hamza Tariq.

“We are watching the situation closely,” Ravin Moorthy, Cricket Canada’s vice-president of high performance management, said in an email Saturday.

“Ultimately, we have trust that the ICC [International Cricket Council] will look after the matter before the tournament gets underway.”

The 14-team World Cup takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Canada, in Pool A with Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, opens Feb. 20 against co-host Sri Lanka in Hambantota. Its next match is in Nagpur, India, against Zimbabwe on Feb. 28.

The Canadian cricketers are currently in Dubai for a pre-tournament training camp before heading to Bangladesh on Feb. 8 for tuneup matches against Bangladesh and England.

© The Canadian Press, 2011