As per reports, the PCB chairman, Najam Sethi has told BCCI secretary Jay Shah that Pakistan wants to host the Asia Cup and if the tournament is moved out, Pakistan will not send its team for the World Cup in India.
Asia Cup 2023 was scheduled to take place in September this year, but Jay 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 tournament due to diplomatic tensions.
The ACC is expected to decide an alternate venue for the tournament in March.
“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,” A PCB source told PTI.
“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,” the source added.
“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 that Sethi told the meeting in Bahrain that both the countries could play their matches in the two multi-team events at offshore venues incase India don’t want to visit Pakistani.
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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.
