Some sigh of relief for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have extended support to the new hybrid plan for Asia Cup 2023. PCB chairman Najam Sethi has submitted the proposal to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Now, ACC President Jay Shah, who is also the BCCI secretary, will assess the proposal in the next two days before taking a call. However, as BCCI has been adamant on shifting the entire tournament, a “boycott” from India’s perspective cannot be ruled out. Follow Asia Cup LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
What are PCB’s proposals?
- Proposal 1: Pakistan host all games while India play their matches at a neutral venue
- Proposal 2: The tournament is divided into two phases with Pakistan hosting the first round of games while India play all their games at a neutral venue in the 2nd phase. The final will also be held at a neutral venue.
“I have not seen the proposal. But there has been no change in our stance. We want the tournament to be played at a neutral venue and not the UAE. We can’t risk any more injuries with the kind of heat there. Sri Lanka is best suited for the tournament. As of now, we have not discussed anything about boycotting it. Let’s first understand the situation and then we will take a call,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
It must be noted that BCCI had rejected PCB’s “hybrid” model. Instead, BCCI asked for the entire venue to be shifted to a neutral venue, preferably Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka Cricket backed BCCI’s claims, Bangladesh Cricket Board supported PCB in their decision. PCB also threatened to call of the bilateral Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
However, a stubborn BCCI is slowly losing support. As per GeoTV, Pakistan have received backing from SLC and BCB on the hybrid model. Afghanistan remained neutral but as PCB helped them with a bilateral series in the UAE last month, it is likely that Pakistan will have their support.
Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Colombo
Hambantota
Pallekele
Dambulla
Dhaka/Mirpur
London
Birmingham
ManchesterThe Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed aforementioned cities to host the India matches, Super 4 round and the final of Asia Cup.
Pakistan vs Nepal and all group matches involving…— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) May 16, 2023
Meanwhile, BCCI has remained adamant on a neutral venue. BCCI had already cleared that India won’t be visiting Pakistan at any situation, even for ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With threats of boycotting of World Cup not working, PCB has resorted to cricket diplomacy.
Now, ACC has convened an emergency meeting this week to discuss the two proposals. A final decision on that is expected at the end of the month. However, BCCI is firm in its decision, “Neutral venue”.
“See, all 5 nations need to be on the same page for this to go ahead. We want the tournament to be shifted out entirely and that is for everyone’s safety considering the political tension in Pakistan. We will know more this week when we meet other stakeholders,” the BCCI official told InsideSport.
Pakistan threatened to boycott the tournament after BCCI rejected the first proposal of a hybrid model. Instead, PCB started discussing possibilities of a tri-nation series if Asia Cup does not happen or Pakistan do in fact boycott Asia Cup.
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