In the midst of the ongoing dispute between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the Asia Cup, PCB chairman Najam Sethi has responded to the Indian cricket board ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Sethi, a former journalist turned cricket administrator, has warned that India's decision not to travel to Pakistan will have consequences, as they also hold the hosting rights for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He has also questioned the BCCI's motives, particularly in light of reports that Ahmedabad may host the Indo-Pak game.
Given the security concerns, Sethi is now calling for Pakistan's World Cup fixtures to be relocated from India.
“When I heard that the Pakistan match was to be in Ahmedabad, I smiled and said to myself – ‘this is one way to make sure we don’t come to India’. I mean if you’d said Chennai or Kolkata, it might have made sense,” Najam Sethi said.
The 74-year-old expressed that in the event that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who also holds the hosting rights for the 2023 Asia Cup, is compelled to implement a hybrid model to allow India to play outside of Pakistan, then fairness should be upheld.
“If India now wants to have a neutral venue and accepts the hybrid model, then we’ll use the same hybrid model in the World Cup. Pakistan can play its World Cup matches in Dhaka or any other venue to which India agrees, and similarly in the Champions Trophy," he added.
According to Najam Sethi, a decision has not yet been made regarding the venue for the 2023 Asia Cup. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has yet to determine whether the hybrid model will be accepted. Originally, the tournament was set to take place in Pakistan, but India has refused to travel to their neighboring nation due to political tensions between the two countries. As a result, Sri Lanka and the UAE have emerged as potential hosts for the Asia Cup. However, the ACC has not yet made a final decision on the matter.
According to the hybrid model, all four remaining countries, except for India, must play at least one game in Pakistan before moving to a secondary venue for the remaining seven games of the continental tournament.
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