ODI World Cup 2023: Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Najam Sethi, has confirmed that Pakistan will not travel to India for ODI World Cup 2023. Sethi announced that Pakistan would only participate in the ICC tournament if their matches will be held in a neutral venue. Follow Cricket LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN
The decision to opt for a neutral venue comes after India refused to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which the PCB plans to host in September 2023. In an interview with SportsTak, Sethi confirmed that they want the Pakistan team’s matches at a neutral venue only.
“Pakistan will not travel to India for the World Cup, we want our World Cup matches to be played at a neutral venue only,” PCB chairman told Sports Tak.
The PCB chairman further revealed that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) members, including both India and Pakistan, had explored the concept of a hybrid model during their meeting in Bahrain earlier this year.
“Pakistan will not travel to India for the World Cup, we want our World Cup matches to be played at a neutral venue only,” PCB chairman Najam Sethi tells Sports Tak. #CWC23
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) May 11, 2023
“There are no security issues. We can play a couple of matches against India and the rest of the teams’ matches can also be played in a neutral venue. We are ready for compromise. All or nothing is nothing is not what we want,’ Najam Sethi said.
Sethi further hit out at Sri Lanka and Bangladesh boards for changing their stance on Pakistan hosting the Asia Cup. The PCB Chairman revealed that Jay Shah had asked in ACC meeting in Bahrain whether someone has a problem with touring Pakistan and no one raised any objection at that time.
“BCCI secretary Jay Shah had asked in ACC meeting in Bahrain whether someone has problem with touring Pakistan and no one said anything” Sethi revealed.
Najam Sethi also expressed his concern over BCCI taking a political stance and preventing other teams from playing in Pakistan. He suggested that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) would face significant challenges if the BCCI adopted this stance. The ACC plays a vital role in organizing cricket events in Asia, and any disruption due to politics will halt its functioning.
“If BCCI takes a political stance and doesn’t let anyone play in Pakistan, I don’t think ACC can run this way”
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / Follow IPL 2023 Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.
