The reports claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had approved the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) hybrid hosting proposal for the much-awaited Asia Cup 2023.
The PCB’s proposal, which proposes that four of the tournament’s matches will be held in Pakistan while the other matches will be played at a neutral site, has received the assent of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. The precise neutral site is still to be chosen, though.
The inaugural round of the competition, which will include four matches, will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, according to a previous announcement by the PCB. The remaining matches, however, will take place at the Dubai International Stadium. Comparing Dubai’s stadiums to those in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, the PCB predicts that Dubai will generate higher ticket sales from matches.
It’s crucial to remember that the BCCI first insisted on a neutral venue and declined to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. The BCCI’s top priorities are the safety and security of its athletes, which they feel can be better guaranteed in a neutral setting.
Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PCB Management Committee, has called for a sensible strategy to address the coming crisis as a result of this circumstance raising worries. In order to successfully host both the Asia Cup and Pakistan’s participation in the ODI World Cup later this year, Sethi highlighted the necessity to reach a compromise.
Sethi expressed worries about Pakistan’s chances of visiting India for the ODI World Cup if India declines to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup during a media engagement at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) meeting. He emphasized that in such a case, the Pakistani government might forbid their team from crossing international boundaries, which would have grave consequences for the sport of cricket.
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