Highlights:
- For the Asia Cup, the BCCI is adamant that the Indian team won’t go to Pakistan.
- According to reports, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) intends to move the tournament to an “alternative venue.”
- The decision has allegedly been delayed until March while negotiations continue.
The Asia Cup 2023 teams’ participation in government clearance talks has been denied by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The announcement followed a report that said all of the countries competing in the Asia Cup 2023 had been requested to obtain government authorization before travelling to Pakistan for the tournament.
Last week, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board met to discuss Pakistan’s hosting rights for the upcoming Asia Cup. However, they were unable to agree during their discussion and decided to postpone the issue until March 2023.
In a strongly worded statement regarding the report, the PCB stated that no member indicated any plans to seek government approval for participating in the Asia Cup in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement in which it stated: “Cricinfo, in its story under the headline Decision on Asia Cup venue postponed to March 2023, stated: ‘In addition, all ACC members are believed to have been asked to seek their own government’s positions on whether their teams can travel to Pakistan.”
PCB further said, “The PCB wishes to clarify that no such matters were raised in the meeting, nor did any member indicate any intention to seek government clearance for playing in Pakistan. Sri Lanka has recently visited Pakistan in 2017 and 2019, while Bangladesh has toured Pakistan in 2020. “
“In the 2023-2027 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which has been agreed and announced by all ICC Members, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have confirmed their tours to Pakistan.”
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According to a report in PTI, The ACC expects moving the Asia Cup from Pakistan and choosing a new location in March. Najam Sethi, the chief of the PCB, reportedly assured Jay Shah that his country “will not forgo the hosting rights of either the Asia Cup or the Champions Trophy in 2025” in response to this suggestion. In addition, he added: “Pakistan will not travel to India for the (ODI) World Cup if the BCCI cannot secure clearance from its government for the Asia Cup.”
The matter is anticipated to be resolved in March, and the tournament is expected to take place in September this year.