The president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Jay Shah, has provided an in-depth explanation about the selection of the venue for the Asia Cup 2023 tournament. Sri Lanka has been plagued by extreme weather, which has greatly impacted the ongoing tournament. Several cricket experts and former players have criticised the decision to co-host the event in Sri Lanka due to the numerous game disruptions caused by the rain.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are jointly hosting the Asia Cup 2023 using a hybrid model, with Pakistan being the original host.
However, most of the games were scheduled in Sri Lanka due to the BCCI’s intervention in the tournament. The Indian cricket board refused to play their games in Pakistan due to the political tension between the two neighbouring countries.
In a statement issued, Jay Shah revealed that the members, media, and stakeholders were not willing to host the entire tournament in Pakistan due to the security and economic situation in the country.
He further mentioned that he attempted to come up with a hybrid model for hosting the tournament after several discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
“All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan. This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country”.
“In my capacity as ACC President, I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I had accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the ACC management.
“However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” Jay Shah said.
The much-awaited India-Pakistan cricket match was ruined by heavy rain. Due to the downpour, not a single ball was bowled during the second innings of the game. The match between India and Nepal also saw interruptions due to the rain. The players and fans were understandably frustrated with the inclement weather.
ACC Members Received Feedback From Their Respective High-performance Teams – Jay Shah
Jay Shah emphasised the last edition of the Asia Cup being played in the T20 format. He highlighted that the members of the Asian Cricket Council are concerned about the weather conditions in the UAE during September, which could potentially increase the risk of injuries in the game just before the start of the ODI World Cup in 2023.
“The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It’s important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format. In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in September.
“Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup,” Jay Shah added
India and Pakistan have qualified for the Super 4 stage of the tournament after a comprehensive victory over Nepal in the group stage. Unfortunately, the game between the two Asian heavyweights was washed out by rain.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have also advanced to the Super 4 stage. Dasun Shanaka‘s side secured a thrilling win over Afghanistan in their second game of the group stage.