PCB opposes Asia Cup venue shift to Sri Lanka, may boycott continental event

Pakistan cricket officials have opposed the shifting of this year’s Asia Cup to Sri Lanka and are seriously mulling boycotting the regional tournament if their proposal is not accepted by the Asian Cricket Council.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi met with officials of the Asian Cricket Council in Dubai on Tuesday and objected to the move to relocate the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka instead of having it in the UAE.

“Sethi has stressed the ACC should accept Pakistan’s revised hybrid model proposal schedule for the Asia Cup and if at all the majority of members wish to have it elsewhere it must be held in UAE like in 2018 and 2022.

“Sethi rubbished the concerns of the BCCI conveyed to the ACC that it would be too hot to play in UAE in September by pointing out today that the BCCI had held its IPL in UAE in September to November in 2020,” one reliable source in the PCB said.

“I can tell you this much Sethi has taken a new hybrid model schedule to the ACC and it is a proposal they shouldn’t reject now,” he disclosed.

The source said the PCB was surprised to learn that the Sri Lankan board with back door support from BCCI had told the ACC it wants to host the Asia Cup this year.

“It came as a surprise because earlier at the last ACC board meeting in February, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan had rejected the Lankan proposal and it was agreed Pakistan would remain the host.” Before leaving for Dubai, Sethi had told his officials to start working on having a 3 to 4 nation event in Pakistan this year in the Asia Cup window if the continental event is not held in the country. 

Image: AP