The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allegedly extended an invitation to Jay Shah, the Secretary of the BCCI, along with other prominent officials from participating cricket boards, for the opening match of the Asia Cup 2023. The inaugural game is scheduled for August 30, featuring Pakistan against debutants Nepal in a day-night match to be held in Multan.
Jay Shah also holds the position of the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
According to an insider, the PCB followed up on the invitation initially conveyed verbally by Chairman Zaka Ashraf to Jay Shah during their meeting at the ICC session in Durban.
This recent development comes after Shah had denied claims made by the Pakistani media that he had accepted Ashraf’s invitation. The source noted that the PCB faced embarrassment when the local media reported that Jay Shah had accepted the invitation, only for the Indian board official to firmly deny it later.
Also read: India Announces Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Shreyas Iyer Left Out, Tilak Varma Secures Spot
Originally slated to take place in Pakistan, the Asia Cup had to be relocated due to the BCCI’s inability to send their team across the border, citing the Indian government’s stance. Eventually, the tournament was decided to be held in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with four matches scheduled in Pakistan and the remaining, including the final, to be played in Sri Lanka.
As per the insider, the PCB’s recent invitation is aimed at highlighting their commitment to keeping politics and cricket separate. The intention is to emphasize Pakistan’s approach of not intertwining politics with sports, according to the source. It’s worth noting that bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been absent for several years due to strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Despite the lack of bilateral series, the two teams regularly compete against each other in ICC and regional events. Pakistan is set to visit India later this year for the ODI World Cup.