Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan Will Take A Firm Stand On The Asia Cup And World Cup – PCB Chief Najam Sethi

PCB chief Najam Sethi revealed that Pakistan Cricket Board would take a strong stance on the upcoming Asia Cup at home and the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in India. Earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the Indian team would not travel to their neighbouring country for the continental tournament.

Ahead of the first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand, PCB Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi hosted an Iftar dinner to honour sports journalists in Lahore.

Speaking on occasion, Najam Sethi said that Pakistan will take a firm stand on the Asia Cup and World Cup, and the Pakistan Cricket Board will make the best decisions for the sake of cricket.

Earlier, PCB chief Najam Sethi expressed displeasure over Jay Shah’s statement on the multinational tournament and stated if BCCI doesn’t allow the Indian team to Pakistan for Asia Cup, then Pakistan might not visit India for the World Cup. While, Asia Cup 2023 is set to be hosted in Pakistan, in September, India is the host of the ODI World Cup 2023, which will start later this year.

The last time, India toured Pakistan in 2006 was under the leadership of present Indian Coach Rahul Dravid, where Pakistan won the three-match test series 1-0 and followed by the 5 match ODI series in which India came back to take the series 4-1 in Pakistan. The last bilateral series between the two sides happened during 2012/13 after which the two teams met only during the ICC events.

The six-nation Asia Cup, which will be played in a 50-over format and is likely to be played in the first part of September 2023, has grouped India and Pakistan with a qualifier. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are included in the other group. The final will be one of a total of 13 games that are played over 13 days.

The Promotion Of Club Cricket Will lead To Emergence Of International Stars – Najam Sethi

Najam Sethi revealed that Pakistan Cricket Board will try to promote cricket at all levels in Pakistan and added that they would encourage more youngsters to take up the game.

“The promotion of club cricket will lead to the emergence of international stars for the country. Necessary steps are being taken to ensure this happens soon,” he added.

During an Interview, Najam Sethi said that they were in high demand for the team in the Pakistan Super League and reckoned that if they are ten teams introduced they would be easily picked as they had an overwhelming interest in owning the franchise in the league.