The Drama Between BCCI And PCB For Asia Cup And World Cup 2023: For a rare instance, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have stood against the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in accordance with the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision of Team India not traveling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.
In the previous meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), headed by ACC chief and the BCCI secretary Jay Shah, the PCB had proposed a hybrid model for the Asia Cup wherein India will play all their matches in the UAE while all other matches of the tournament will be played in Pakistan, the hosts for the tournament. Should India reach the final, the final will also be played in the UAE.
Now, the SLC and the BCB have stood in disagreement with this idea citing the extreme heat in the UAE in the month of September as the reason for that.
While the PCB has agreed to travel to India for the World Cup 2023 in October-November, the continental tournament, the Asia Cup 2023, has come into danger.
“The latest disturbances, in the wake of the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, may have exacerbated the problems,” Cricbuzz said in a report.
“Cricbuzz has learnt that the PCB, the designated host, wanted to host the Asia Cup in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan. But Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) were not agreeable to playing the matches in the UAE because of the September heat there.”
Sri Lanka has come up as an alternative to host the entire tournament, however, the PCB will then threaten to pull out from the Asia Cup, even if they are given the hosting rights. The PCB are adamant in hosting the Asia Cup, their first such continental tournament for over 14 years.
The PCB are likely to pull out if the Asia Cup is moved out of Pakistan while the BCCI reckons there is no chance of sending Team India to Pakistan.
The PCB chief Najam Sethi has visited Dubai over the last few days to talk in this matter and it is reported that he pointed out that 50-over Asia Cup in 2018 took place in the UAE in the month of September, that the IPL 2020 also happened in the same country in September-October, and also the 2022 Asia Cup, which was in 20-over format, took place in the UAE while Sri Lanka had the hosting rights.
“The PCB is believed to have insisted on the hybrid model of Pakistan-UAE failing which it will pull out,” Cricbuzz added.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with its secretary Jay Shah as the ACC chief, has not said anything. A decision has not been taken but on the face of it, the tournament looks to be in danger.”
Sri Lanka are the defending Asia Cup champions having defeated Pakistan in the final last year.
