The end of the Pakistan cricket team’s World Cup campaign has also meant the abrupt end of their stay in India.

The entire contingent, including players, support staff and journalists, will have to leave India within 48 hours of the conclusion of their match against England on Saturday. The team is scheduled to leave the city on Sunday morning on their way home via New Delhi.

The visas issued to Pakistani journalists, players and members of the team management specifically mention that they must exit India within 48 hours of the end of the team’s World Cup campaign. (Had Pakistan reached the final, they would have had to leave India by November 21.)

What this means is that Babar Azam and his team will not be allowed to stay back and watch the final or visit places of their choice before returning home.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and (right) Shaheen Shah Afridi at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. They play England in Calcutta on Saturday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Only a day ago, former India opener and regular Pakistan baiter Virender Sehwag had trolled Babar’s men: “Pakistan Zindabhaag! Have a safe flight back home... Bye Bye Pakistan.”

On his part, Babar told a pre-match news conference: “To be honest, first I got a lot of love from India, a lot of support. Not only me, the entire team. Of course, I was not able to get a good finish.”

The conditional visas for the Pakistani contingent have drawn flak from several quarters. This has never before happened in an ICC tournament, the practice being to allow players and journalists to stay back for at least a week after the conclusion of the event.

The Indian high commission in Islamabad had, after an initial delay, issued visas to only nine Pakistani journalists. They could not cover the tournament before the Ocober 14 India-Pakistan match in Ahmedabad. It is learnt that as many as 60 Pakistani journalists had applied for visas.

One of the journalists, however, has been granted a visa extension since he is with the official Pakistani broadcaster, A-Sports.

The other Pakistani journalists who contacted the Indian high commission in Islamabad for a visa extension were told they would have to leave by Monday. Late in the evening the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Hasan Ali would return on November 22.

No Pakistani fan was allowed to cross the border and watch matches in India during this World Cup. The only Pakistani fans at the stadiums were those holding passports of other countries.

A large number of Pakistanis were issued visas during the 2011 World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup, the last two ICC events in India. PCB chief Zaka Ashraf visited Ahmedabad for the October 14 match only after some Pakistani journalists were issued visas.

The PCB’s repeated protests to the ICC over the visa policy have drawn a blank. A formal complaint to the ICC over the “inappropriate conduct” of the home fans during the India-Pakistan clash in Ahmedabad has also failed to elicit any response.