But a PCB official tells that the board has emails from BCB and SLC saying they have no issues playing in Pakistan.
The PCB believed that this time it had addressed the logistical and technical issues the ACC had identified when presenting its “hybrid” option to host the 2023 Asia Cup to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), who both object to staging a portion of the event in the UAE, were revealed to have met with officials from both sides on Tuesday in Dubai.
In order to account for the fact that India wouldn’t visit Pakistan for the tournament due to ongoing political difficulties between the governments of the two countries, the PCB has suggested the hybrid format. According to the suggested solution, Pakistan will host the remaining matches of the tournament while India plays all of its games in the United Arab Emirates.
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But according to insiders, the BCB and SLC cited logistical difficulties related to travelling between Pakistan and a second nation during the Asia Cup, which is slated to be contested in September, one month before the ODI World Cup is hosted in India. Both boards said that another impediment was the intense heat in the UAE in the first half of September.
The secretary of the SLC, Mohan de Silva, told ESPNcricinfo, “We have written to the ACC to say that we are opposed to the hybrid format. But beyond that, no decision has been made in stone. At that time of year, the UAE is incredibly hot.
A PCB official responded, saying the board had communications from both BCB and SLC stating they have no issues playing in Pakistan, in what is becoming into an increasingly contentious matter. The official also noted that the Asia Cup was held in the UAE from August 27 to September 11 of last year, which is the same time frame the boards are protesting this time.
In 2018, the UAE hosted the Asia Cup 50-over, which took place from September 15 to 28. Both of those events were relocated to the UAE as a backup plan; in the first instance, the tournament was originally scheduled to take place in India but was moved due to political tensions between India and Pakistan; last year, it was relocated from Sri Lanka due to the political and economic unrest the nation was experiencing at the time.
One recommendation is for the PCB to emulate SLC, who kept the hosting rights for the 2022 tournament but hosted it abroad. Sri Lanka has been mentioned as a potential neutral location this time, and de Silva claimed that SLC was prepared. We will accept the invitation to play the event in Sri Lanka, he stated. Pakistan will serve as the designated hosts.
The PCB, though, is convinced that its approach applies to all situations. “The PCB presented a hybrid model that resolves issues of logistics, travel, and production,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. The board restated its stance that if the Pakistan-plus-neutral-venue plan is rejected, we would not play in the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, is neutral. An Afghanistan representative told ESPNcricinfo, “We have strongly emphasised the importance of conducting the event at the scheduled time in the previous two ACC meetings.” We are adhering to the ACC’s decisions about the venue and have no desire to support or disagree with any particular board’s stand on the issue. Our top objective is to make sure the competition is fair and competitive and contributes to the expansion and development of cricket in the area.
In the six-nation Asia Cup, which will be played in the 50-over format as part of World Cup preparation, Nepal and India have been placed in the same group. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are in the opposite group. Over the course of 13 days, a total of 13 matches—including the championship—will be contested. The top two teams from each group proceed to the Super 4s, and the top two teams then compete in the final, following the format from 2022. If both teams go to the final, there is still a chance that India and Pakistan may face each other three times.