Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has travelled to Bahrain to participate in a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council ACC to resolve the controversy over Pakistan’s hosting rights for the Asia Cup. Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PCB, requested the meeting after a verbal spat with the BCCI broke out last year.
Over the past two decades, India and Pakistan have had a tumultuous relationship. The two boards’ relationship took a turn for the worst after BCCI secretary Jay Shah publicly announced that the Indian team will not be visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2023. His comments cast a negative light on the continental event, with a change of location being the most likely result.
Najam Sethi questioned Shah’s choice, calling it “unilateral,” and asked the Asian Cricket Council for clarity (ACC). According to rumours, the BCCI won’t alter its position, and the Asia Cup will probably be moved to a neutral location.
“For the ACC gathering, Jay is in Bahrain. The BCCI will maintain its position. We won’t be going to Pakistan since the government hasn’t given us the go-ahead “said a BCCI insider.
It’s important to remember that Ramiz Raja, the former PCB president, had threatened to skip India’s next 50-over World Cup. It started a verbal conflict between the representatives of the two boards, and since Najam Sethi’s hiring, it has only gotten worse.
There are reports that the competition may be shifted to the UAE or Sri Lanka, the latter of which served as the original hosts of the competition last year in the UAE. Security worries have also increased in the nation as a result of the most recent bombings in Peshawar, despite Pakistan having just recently hosted successful tours of England and New Zealand.