Asia Cup: “I Want Asia Cup 2023 To Be Held In Pakistan, If Not Pakistan Then…” – Shoaib Akhtar

Earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the Indian team would not travel to their neighbouring country for the continental tournament. While, PCB chairman, Najam Sethi said that he will be raising these issues in the next ACC and ICC meetings. Former Pakistani cricketer and renowned YouTuber, Shoaib Akhtar have now raised his opinion on the Asia Cup saga.

Former Pakistani speedster wants both countries final in prestigious events-

“I want Asia Cup 2023 to be held in Pakistan, if not Pakistan then Sri Lanka,”

“I want to see India and Pakistan play the final in Asia Cup and World Cup. Nothing else should happen in world cricket just India and Pakistan finals,” stated Akhtar.

While, in Asia Cup, Men in Blue won the title seven times, followed by Sri Lanka with six trophies and then Pakistan with three titles. India and Pakistan met in the T20 World Cup Final in South Africa in 2007 and apart from that both countries clashed against each other in the Champions Trophy Final in 2017. Contrasting Akhtar’s thought, both powerhouses of Asian cricket have never met each other in the Finals of the continental tournament.

It is expected that the UAE will host the 16th edition of the Asia Cup–and the venue and dates will be announced in the coming days. The reports have suggested that both PCB and BCCI have agreed on the natural venue for the prestigious tournament. The official announcement will be made at the next Asian Cricket Council (ACC) executive board meeting in March 2023.

Qatar, Doha | I really miss India in terms of playing there. India has given me immense love. I want to see Asia Cup happening in Pakistan or Sri Lanka. I am not surprised in seeing Virat Kohli’s come back. He’s an experienced player: Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistani Cricketer pic.twitter.com/QJRV6NUqTt

— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2023

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also stated that if India doesn’t come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, it might also halt its plan to travel for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The Asian giants are hosting the ODI WC for the first time solely. However, in the past, India hosted the prestigious tournament along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Asia Cup 2023 is expected to begin in September, and 6 teams are expected to participate in the tournament including India. Sri Lanka is the defending champions, it was originally scheduled to be in 2021 but was postponed due to the packed schedule.

Also read: Asia Cup: India Agar Aankhe Dikha Raha Hain… – Shahid Afridi On India’s Stance To Not Travel To Pakistan For Asia Cup