A final decision on the country — or countries — hosting the Asia Cup will be taken on the sidelines of the IPL final, which will be attended by a host of top Asian Cricket Council (ACC) dignitaries, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Thursday.
The hosting rights are with Pakistan for this year’s tournament, but the BCCI had thrown a spanner into the proceedings by announcing that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan, last October.
Ever since then, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najeem Sethi and his predecessor Ramiz Raja have been coming out with one threat after another. The biggest one is the threat to boycott World Cup in India if India doesn’t come to play in Pakistan.
Sethi has given a hybrid model as a bargain in which 4 matches are held in Pakistan and the remainder of the tournament is played in either UAE or Sri Lanka.
It has been learnt from ACC sources that Sethi’s proposed hybrid model that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan play four preliminary matches in Pakistan, with India playing all their games at neutral venues, looks like a feasible solution although ACC had made no formal statements.
The two India-Pakistan games will also be held in Sri Lanka although the PCB wants them in Dubai.
“ACC head Jay Shah will summon an executive body meeting where a formal announcement will take place. The PCB doesn’t mind playing India at a neutral venue. While they would prefer Dubai because it would lead to more gate receipts, it is open to playing in another country (read Sri Lanka) provided the ACC matches the gate receipts amount (USD 0.5 million) that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) received in 2022 from the Indo-Pak games in Dubai,” an ACC source privy told PTI.
We Are Busy With IPL: Jay Shah Says Final Decision On Asia Cup After May 28
The final decision on Asia Cup hosting will be made on the sidelines of the IPL final, which will be attended by a number of prominent Asian Cricket Council (ACC) dignitaries, according to BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Thursday.
“As of now the decision with regards to hosting of Asia Cup hasn’t yet been finalised. We are busy with IPL but the top dignitaries of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Bangladesh and Afghanistan Cricket Board are coming to watch the IPL final. We will have a discussion and take a final decision in due course,” Jay Shah told PTI.
While the PCB maintains that hosting the World Cup in India is subject to government approval and should be treated separately from Asia Cup hosting rights, it is a foregone conclusion that neither the BCCI, the ICC, or the host broadcasters will agree to an India-Pakistan World Cup match taking place in Bangladesh.
This year’s Asia Cup runs from September 1 to September 17.