India-Pakistan antagonism off the field is currently one of the most discussed topics in international cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already ruled out playing the Asia Cup in Pakistan, while Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Najam Sethi has stated that their government will not allow them to play forthcoming ODI World Cup matches in India. The upcoming Asia Cup is currently on the verge of being canceled, but the Men in Green are desperate to keep their aspirations alive.
Sethi stated that Pakistan should be permitted to host at least four Asia Cup matches; otherwise, they would be forced to withdraw from the Asian Cricket Council, the continent’s governing body. Notably, the governing body also rejected the notion of hosting the matches in Sri Lanka, despite the fact that the island nation was favored to host the next edition.
“Yes, Najam Sethi, as part of Plan B of the hybrid model proposed by us for the Asia Cup has informed the ACC this week in Dubai that the PCB would be satisfied hosting four games at home,” a reliable source close to the cricket board confirmed to The New Indian Express.
The report also claims that Sethi proposed matches between Pakistan and Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Pakistan. In addition, Sethi granted permission for the remainder of the tournament, including the decisive final, to be held in Dubai.
“The last two Asia Cups were held in UAE during the same time”frame”—source on teams refusing to play in UAE due to weather concerns
Commenting on the contentious issue of hosting rights, the aforementioned source stated that teams had previously participated in the same tournament in UAE during the same time period but are now refusing to play, putting Pakistan’s hosting rights in jeopardy.
For the uninitiated, it was proposed that the tournament be held in UAE, which had served as Pakistan’s main venue for many years. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India reportedly refused to participate in the UAE due to the extreme heat.
“The one challenge now facing the ACC and us as hosts is that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India are adamant that the event should not be hosted in the United Arab Emirates in September due to the extreme heat.
“In the recent past, the BCCI has organized the entire (half) of IPL in UAE between September and November (in 2021), while the last two Asia Cups have also been held in UAE during the same period,” the source added.
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