Asia Cup 2023: An Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board member has squashed rumors that Asia Cup could be postponed or cancelled amid Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claims that it would not play unless the tournament is held in Pakistan. Asian Cricket Council (ACC) sources on Monday said that they have not sent out any such proposal to the member nations. A report in Pakistan media claimed that if PCB will not agree to play Asia Cup at a neutral venue and that the tournament could be taken away from the country. Follow Asia Cup 2023 Live Updates on InsideSport.IN
BCCI is planning for a five-nation tournament which would be held during the window vacated by the cancellation of Asia Cup. There are chances that the Asia Cup would not take place this year as the PCB does not want it to be held outside Pakistan, as reported by Express News.
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) May 1, 2023
The hosting rights of the 2023 Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in ODI format, are with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, has made it clear that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan.
The PCB has proposed to host Asia Cup on a ‘hybrid model’, where Pakistan play their matches on the home soil, while India play at a neutral venue — in all likelihood Dubai.
It is understood that the BCCI wants the entire tournament to be shifted to the UAE — which has three grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi — much like the 2018 and 2022 editions when India and Sri Lanka were the tournament hosts.
Asia Cup 2023: ACC’s decison
“There has been exchange of messages, but no discussion or proposal to postpone the Asia Cup has been floated,” an ACC Board member, privy to discussions on the sidelines of an ICC meet in Dubai, told PTI on the conditions of anonymity.
“Secondly, if the Asia Cup is cancelled, PCB will be intimated first. Nothing of that sort has happened till now. The ACC chairman (Shah) hasn’t yet put anything on record.
“To postpone or cancel the event, the ACC will have to call an Executive Board meeting. The chairman (Shah) can call the meeting in seven days (virtual or physical). To date, there is no intimation about any such meeting,” the source added.
The ACC source said that, to the best of his knowledge, the last official mail exchange between the PCB, ACC and BCCI was an invitation sent to the Indian team with assurance of highest degree of security and best hospitality.
“But, obviously, it is difficult for India to travel to Pakistan in the current sensitive political environment,” he agreed.
The other issue is amount of money the official broadcaster has committed on telecast deals, that includes at least two assured India-Pakistan games. If the two teams make the final, the third game would be a bonanza.
“We must remember the media rights and the agreement with Star Sports, who have paid millions for, at least, two Pakistan vs India matches in the Asia Cup,” he said.
BCCI and SLC’s agreement
It is learnt that when the informal discussion was held between the ACC members about hosting the tournament at neutral venue, the source confirmed that BCCI did get support from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
“Look, if Asia Cup is cancelled after the ACC chairman summons an Executive Board meeting, the ramifications will not just be Pakistan’s World Cup participation, but also PCB’s FTP calendar and bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan or Bangladesh.
“The situation is still very fluid,” the source said.
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