Asia Cup 2023: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would not support the hybrid model put out by its Pakistani counterparts for the upcoming Asia Cup. Notably, despite the meeting of office-bearers of the three members of the continental organisation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC), no one officially has reached a consensus on this matter.
A final decision about the hosting of the 2023 Asia Cup was to be made on the sidelines of the IPL final, which was likely be attended by a number of important members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), as per BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.
Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Nazmul Hassan was unable to attend the meeting due to personal obligations, however representatives from the boards of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka could. The discussions did not lead to any conclusions.
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It is understood that Afghanistan and Sri Lanka supported the Indian board’s stance against the hybrid model – where the tournament will be played in two nations because India refuses to travel to Pakistan to play matches – as they feared the scheduling will have an adverse effect on the players. The hybrid model is also unpopular with the broadcasters as per Indian Express
Even though no decision has been reached yet, the Indian board will continue to force a neutral location, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will also be called for additional negotiations.
Oman Cricket chairman and ACC vice-president Pankaj Khimji has reportedly been given the task of addressing the contentious matter. The ACC is presided over by Shah. The Indian Board is fine with playing in Sri Lanka even if PCB is the tournament’s hosts. However, BCCI believes that due to the extremely high temperatures in September, playing cricket in the UAE, which is PCB’s preferred neutral destination, won’t be feasible.
Over the past 15 years, deteriorated political ties between India and Pakistan have harmed bilateral cricket, and the two neighbours currently only face each other in multi-team tournaments at neutral locations.
The PCB decided to propose a “hybrid model” in which India might play its matches in the United Arab Emirates after the Indian board decided against visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup in September due to safety concerns.
Such a deal would have significant effects on both the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan, and the 50-over World Cup, which will take place in India later this year.
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