'Is he mentally stable': Ex-PCB chief Ramiz Raja slams Najam Sethi for proposing England as Asia Cup 2023 venue

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has criticized the current PCB management committee chairman, Najam Sethi, for suggesting that England could be a possible venue for the Asia Cup 2023 in September. 

During an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting, Sethi proposed a hybrid hosting strategy for the multi-nation event due to the many restrictions, including the heat in September, which discouraged other boards from showing any interest in competing in the UAE.

Raja, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, questioned the mental stability of the PCB chief and emphasized the importance of the Asia Cup in allowing teams to acclimatize to subcontinent spin pitches. He criticized Sethi's suggestion of hosting the tournament in England, stating that it would not provide the necessary conditions for teams to prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is set to take place in India.

“I was shocked to hear the Chairman PCB saying it would be great to see the Asia Cup being played at Lord’s. Is he mentally stable or not? The whole point of Asia Cup before the World Cup was that the teams get familiar with the conditions of the sub-continent," Raja said.

Raja has expressed his dissatisfaction with Najam Sethi's claim that the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) may be held in Dubai due to taxation concerns. He believes that such a decision would undermine all the efforts made to bring the premier T20 tournament back to the country.

“Another statement that made me angry was Mr. Chairman telling the press they want to organize PSL season 9 in UAE because there are issues with taxation in Pakistan. On one hand you’re saying that Pakistan is safe for cricket regarding Asia Cup but on the other hand, you are saying that PSL should not be conducted in Pakistan, how does that make sense?

It took us years to bring the PSL back to Pakistan and to show the world that Pakistan is finally ready to host international cricket but you want to nullify that? This is disappointing,” he added.

A decision on the hosting rights for the 2023 Asia Cup is yet to be made, as the BCCI has stated that they will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament. The PCB, however, is determined to play the tournament in a hybrid model, while the Asian Cricket Council is striving to hold the entire tournament in a neutral location.

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