Has the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB’s) hybrid plan for the Asia Cup been officially turned down by Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh? That seems to be the latest on the mess that has kept the six-nation regional championship from being held for a long time. Sri Lanka will be the host country.
According to news from Pakistan, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have all written to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to reject the host PCB’s plan to play four games in Pakistan and the rest of the games in the UAE. This backs up the BCCI, which has been against the model, by rejecting it in a formal way.
Rashid Latif told everyone about the change. “India and three other countries, except for Pakistan, turned down the hybrid plan for the Asia Cup. Instead, they all agreed on one venue because it would be easier and cheaper. The problem might be settled at a Zoom meeting soon or at a general meeting in Dubai in a few days, the former Pakistan captain wrote on Twitter. When Cricbuzz asked Latif about the story, he confirmed it and said that this update was true.
“I’ve heard from reliable sources that four countries have turned down the model, so it’s now just a formality that the Asia Cup will be moved out of Pakistan,” Latif, a former captain with a lot of respect, told this website on Tuesday morning. When asked if Pakistan would take part, he said that it should. “I feel that Pakistan should and will.”
But as of the time this story was written, there was still no official word on the matter. The head of the PCB, Najam Sethi, did not answer a question from this website, and news from the country said that the PCB might skip the title out of protest.
This website had said before, citing an official from the SLC, that the island country is ready to host the championship if the ACC chooses them. Officials from SLC, BCB, and ACB did not reply right away to messages from this website. Jay Shah is the head of the ACC and is also the secretary of the BCCI. He is in London at the moment and could not be reached for comment.
The six-team Asia Cup, which is likely to start in the second week of September, is seen as an important warm-up for the World Cup, which will take place in October and November. The 17-game tournament will include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal.