Asian Cricket Council has not put forward a proposal to postpone the Asia Cup: source

The hosting rights for the 2023 Asia Cup, which will be held in the ODI format, are held by the Pakistan Cricket Board, but BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC president, has made it clear that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan. . Image for presentation purposes only. | Image credit: The Hindu

Sources in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on May 1 that they have not sent any proposal that the Asia Cup could be postponed and a parallel tournament, excluding Pakistan, played in Dubai in the same window. member countries.

A Pakistani media report claimed that if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) does not agree to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue, the tournament may be taken out of the country.

The hosting rights for the 2023 Asia Cup, which will be held in the ODI format, are held by the Pakistan Cricket Board, but BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC president, has made it clear that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan. .

The PCB has proposed hosting the Asia Cup in a “hybrid format” where Pakistan will play their matches at home, while India will most likely play at a neutral venue in Dubai.

It is understood that the BCCI wants the entire tournament to be shifted to the UAE, which has three grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, just like the 2018 and 2022 editions, when India and Sri Lanka hosted the tournament.

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“Messages have been exchanged but no discussion or proposal has been made to postpone the Asia Cup,” an ACC board member privy to the discussions on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai said. PTI on condition of anonymity.

“Secondly, if the Asia Cup is cancelled, the PCB will be informed first. Nothing like that has happened so far. The ACC chairman (Shah) has not recorded anything yet.

“For the event to be postponed or cancelled, the ACC will have to call a board meeting. The chairman (Shah) can call a meeting after seven days (virtually or physically). So far, there is no information about such a meeting.” the source added.

An ACC source said that to the best of his knowledge, the last official e-mail exchange between the PCB, ACC and BCCI was an invitation to the Indian team, guaranteeing maximum security and best hospitality.

“But obviously it is difficult for India to travel to Pakistan in the current sensitive political environment,” he admitted.

Another thing is the amount of money the official broadcaster has committed to telecasting deals that include at least two assured games between India and Pakistan. If both teams make it to the finals, the third game would be a winner.

“We have to remember the media rights and the contract Star sportwho have paid millions for at least two Pakistan-India matches in the Asia Cup,” he said.

It is learned that when there was an informal discussion among the ACC members about holding the tournament at a neutral venue, a source confirmed that the BCCI received support from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

“Look, if the Asia Cup is canceled after the ACC president calls a board meeting, the consequences will not only be Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, but also PCB’s FTP calendar and bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan or Bangladesh.

“The situation is still very fluid,” the source said.