Reason behind PCB’s unwillingness to play Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka ODI series in Sri Lanka is disclosed

The Pakistan Cricket Board initially expressed interest in holding the Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka ODI series in addition to the two-match Test series but eventually reversed course.

Reason revealed behind PCB’s refusal to play ODI series in Sri Lanka

In response to Sri Lanka Cricket’s declaration that they are interested in hosting the full Asia Cup in 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has denied their request to play Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka in an ODI series on home soil.

When SLC expressed their preference to host the Asian tournament rather than use Najam Sethi’s suggested “Hybrid Model,” the relationship between the two parties grew tenser. According to this plan, the first four matches should be played in Pakistan, and the subsequent two should be played in the UAE.

The PCB denied Sri Lanka’s request to play a few ODI matches alongside their two-Test series in July of this year, which is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC), according to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI). This decision was made because of the deteriorating relations between the two boards.

The Sri Lankan board’s decision to step in and offer to host the Asia Cup in September, when Pakistan is due to host the regional competition at home, is a clear indicator that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unhappy, a PCB source told PTI.

At first, the board had been receptive to the idea, but it eventually took a different position. Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, also expressed unhappiness with the responses from the boards of Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who had not endorsed his hybrid model plan for the Asia Cup 2023.

Sethi, according to the report, had anticipated that Sri Lanka, a country with which Pakistan has had cordial relations in the past, along with Bangladesh and Afghanistan, would exert their influence to persuade other members of the Asian Cricket Council—including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)—to consider playing three to four matches in Pakistan before moving the tournament elsewhere.

The source continued, “Sethi expected Sri Lanka, with whom Pakistan has had friendly relations for a long time, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to persuade the BCCI and other Asian Cricket Council board members to support the proposal put forth by Sethi and to at least play three to four games of the Asia Cup in Pakistan before moving the tournament elsewhere.

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