Najam Sethi: A final decision on whether Pakistan will host the 2023 Asian Cup is due in March. There was apparently no progress at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Bahrain.
Pakistan will host the 2023 Asian Cup. But last year, ACC president and Indian Cricket Control Committee (BCCI) chief Jay Shah made it clear that India will not travel to Pakistan and will seek a neutral venue.
According to a report, Najam Sethi is the new Chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Najam Sethi said that if India does not play in Pakistan, Pakistan would also not play the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
The report added that the issue will be revisited when successive ICC and ACC meetings are held after the deadlock in March. PCB may maintain its stance at the next meeting. Based on the results of the March meeting, the Pakistani government may make a call on whether their team will participate in the 2023 World Cup in India.
Official ACC statement
Meanwhile, all members of the ACC were reportedly asked to seek the views of their governments on whether cricket teams could travel to Pakistan. Here is the official ACC statement regarding the conference:
“ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming 2023 Asian Cup. The Board agreed to continue discussing procedures, schedules, and other details to ensure the tournament’s success. An update on this issue will be provided at the next ACC Board meeting in March 2023. “
International cricket in Pakistan came to a halt after the Sri Lankan team’s bus was attacked in Lahore in 2009. Pakistan was forced to make the UAE it’s home for the next decade.
However, in recent years, international cricket has returned to Pakistan. Australia toured Pakistan in 2022, the first in 24 years. While England also recently visited the country. However, India have not played a bilateral series against their biggest rivals since Pakistan’s last tour of India in 2012-13. India’s last international match in Pakistan was in 2008. The Asian giants only meet face-to-face at the ICC and ACC events.
UAE to host Asian Cup 2023 instead of Pakistan?
A final decision on the location of the 2023 Asian Cup, he said, is due in March. But a PTI report said the tournament is highly unlikely to be held in Pakistan.
A senior BCCI official was quoted by the press as saying: “The tournament has to be postponed as India has decided not to go to Pakistan. The tournament without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill will withdraw their sponsorship.
The report added that with Pakistan currently facing an economic crisis, hosting a high-profile tournament like the Asian Cup does not seem like a viable option.
The UAE has emerged as a strong alternative as the prospects for commercial success are greater.
