Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Najam Sethi has reportedly told BCCI secretary Jay Shah that his country wants to host the Asia Cup and if the tournament is moved out, Pakistan will not send the team for the men’s ODI World Cup in India later this year.
Pakistan was originally allotted the Asia Cup in September this year, but Shah, who is the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, had said in October last year that the Indian team will not tour Pakistan for the continental tournament due to diplomatic tensions. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is expected to shift the Asia Cup from Pakistan and decide on the alternate venue in March.
However, a well-informed source in the PCB said Sunday that during the ACC executive board meeting held Saturday in Bahrain, Sethi clarified Pakistan’s stance on the Asia Cup to Shah that his country ‘will not forgo the hosting rights of either the Asia Cup or the Champions Trophy in 2025’.
“Sethi has made his stance very clear (to Shah) and he went to Bahrain after meeting Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif last Tuesday. Apparently, he has discussed the matter with the PM before going to Bahrain,” the source said.
“Sethi was clear that the Asia Cup is a multi-team event and the Pakistan government is willing to give security assurances to the Indian team. So, there is no reason for the BCCI to not send its team to Pakistan in September this year. Sethi also made it clear that if the BCCI cannot get clearance from its government for the Asia Cup, Pakistan will also not travel to India for the (ODI) World Cup,” the source added.
The source added that Sethi told the meeting in Bahrain that if India didn’t come to Pakistan, then both countries could play their matches in the two multi-team event at offshore venues. The source said that after Sethi’s tough stance, it was decided the ACC will meet again in March and the matter will be taken forward.
PTI