After the BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that they would like to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue, Pakistan on Tuesday threatened to boycott the World Cup in India in 2019.
According to a decision made by the executive board of the Asian Cricket Council, Pakistan will host the upcoming Asia Cup in 2019. Shah is also the head of the Asian Cricket Council.
India will play the Asia Cup at a neutral location, Shah told a small group of reporters after the BCCI AGM on Tuesday in Mumbai.
Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the PCB, is said to be considering pulling out of the 50-over ICC World Cup in India, according to sources close to him.
Under the condition of anonymity, a senior PCB source told PTI, “The PCB is now prepared to take hard decisions and play hard ball since it is also aware that the ICC and ACC events will have to face commercial liabilities and losses if Pakistan does not play India in these multi-team games.”
While India has faced Pakistan in international or continental competitions, they haven’t visited their neighbouring nation since the 2008 Asia Cup. In 2012, Pakistan last visited India for a brief six-match bilateral white ball series.When reached, the PCB declined to respond to Shah’s statement in a formal manner.
A spokeswoman stated, “We currently have nothing to say, but sure, we will look into things and bring up this problem at the relevant venues, such the ICC board meeting in Melbourne next month.”
However, it has been discovered that PCB Chairman Raja and other senior officials were extremely angered by Jay Shah’s pronouncement that India will not visit Pakistan in the upcoming year and had made the difficult decision to act immediately.
One insider said, “There is still about a year until the Asia Cup is staged in Pakistan in September 2023, thus the PCB executives are astonished at the timing of Jay Shah’s statement.
He claimed that while the PCB was aware that India’s trip to Pakistan for the Asia Cup was on the agenda for the BCCI AGM, it didn’t anticipate any announcements or pronouncements at this time.Since the executive board, not the president, of the ACC awarded the hosting rights, the PCB is unsure in what position Jay Shah made the comment that the ACC will consider moving the Asia Cup from Pakistan to the UAE.
PCB might renounce its ACC membership.
According to the PCB sources, Raja will write a stern letter to the ACC over the situation and would demand that an urgent meeting of the ACC board be called for Melbourne early next month to discuss Shah’s statement.The insider further revealed that the PCB had made the decision to consider a number of possibilities and would not put up with any interference with its hosting rights.
“The PCB thinks the ACC was established to promote and develop cricket in the area and foster unity among the member nations, thus leaving the organisation is one option that is being considered. However, the ACC President will make statements to the effect that Pakistan has no purpose in remaining a member of the organisation “he added.
