Team India's tour of Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 has been a major talking point in the buildup of the match between the two teams ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022. The BCCI have made it clear that the Men in Blue will not travel across the border, instead, they will urge that the Asia Cup to be held in a neutral venue.
"The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue. I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can't go there [to Pakistan], they can't come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue" said Jay Shah, on Tuesday.
In the aftermath, there has been a strong reaction from across the border, with reports claiming that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have threatened to boycott the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India in retaliation.
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Amid the ongoing furore, an old video of the current PCB chief Ramiz Raja has resurfaced, wherein he admitted that Pakistan could 'collapse' without the funding that India provided to ICC.
"The ICC is a politicised body divided between the Asian and Western blocs and 90 per cent of its revenues are generated from India. It is frightening. In a way India's business houses are running Pakistan cricket and if tomorrow the Indian PM decides he will not allow any funding to Pakistan, this cricket board can collapse," Raja could be heard saying in the video.
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For the unversed, the 2018 Asia Cup was originally scheduled to be played in India but was later shifted to UAE. The recently concluded was to be played in Sri Lanka, but had to be shifted to UAE again, and the nation could host the next Asia Cup as well.
