“India would not want the ICC to intervene” – Najam Sethi warns India once more about the Asia Cup 2023. row

Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has advised the BCCI to make a rational decision regarding its stance on not traveling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan gained the rights to host the 2022 continental tournament; however, the tournament may be relocated due to India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan due to political tensions between the two countries.

Sethi stated that he is not concerned about the Asia Cup, but rather the ODI World Cup 2023, which is potentially scheduled to begin in India on October 5. He added that the boycotting game will continue if the two organizations do not reach a compromise at this time.

“BCCI should make a solid, logical decision so that there are no problems in the future. PCB chairman Najam Sethi was quoted by NDTV as saying, “I’m not concerned about the Asia Cup; I’m concerned about the World Cup. India should not consider a scenario in which it boycotts the Asia Cup, the World Cup, and then the Champions Trophy; it would be a huge mess.”

According to reports, Pakistan presented the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) with a hybrid model in which India would have played their matches in the United Arab Emirates and the remaining countries would have played in Pakistan. However, BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have reportedly rejected the model due to logistical issues.

How could you disregard our team and our nation? : Najam Sethi
Pakistan cannot be disregarded because they are ranked higher than India in the ICC One-Day International rankings; therefore, the ICC must intervene to resolve the dispute.

Thus, Pakistan is at the very summit of the ODI rankings. How then can you disregard our team and our country? Thus, the ICC should intervene. However, I believe India would not want the ICC to intervene,” he added.

Notably, India’s last trip to Pakistan was in 2008, when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup. Since their last bilateral series in India in 2012-13, the two teams have only met in multi-national competitions.