The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially responded to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Wednesday after BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan will be moved to a neutral venue.
Bilateral runs against Pakistan or touring the neighboring country have been thorny issues and the BCCI needs government approval before it can go ahead.
The PCB expressed concern about Shah’s statement, writing: “The PCB has learned with surprise and disappointment at yesterday’s comments by the ACC President, Mr. Jay Shah, regarding the rescheduling of next year’s Asia Cup to a neutral location. The comments were made without any discussion or consultation with the Asian Cricket Council or Pakistan Cricket Board (organizer of the event) and without any thoughts on the long-term consequences and implications.
“After presiding over the ACC meeting in which Pakistan was awarded the ACC Asia Cup with overwhelming support and response from the ACC board members, Mr Shah’s statement about shifting the ACC Asia Cup has clearly been made unilaterally.
“This is contrary to the philosophy and spirit for which the Asian Cricket Council was established in September 1983 – a unified Asian cricket body to protect the interests of its members and to organize, develop and promote the game of cricket in Asia,” PCB said. in a letter they posted on social media.
PCB Responds to ACC President’s Statement
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— Pakistani cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 19, 2022
What Jay Shah had said?
Shah, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in his statement more or less ruled out any possibility of the tournament being held in Pakistan.
“The 2023 Asia Cup will be held in a neutral location. I say this as chairman of the ACC. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past, the Asian Cup has also been played in a neutral venue,” Shah said after BCCI’s 91st Annual General Meeting in Mumbai, in the presence of new board chairman Roger Binny.
Speaking to reporters, he stressed that there is a policy regarding playing with Pakistan and that the BCCI will follow. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, sitting next to Shah, explained that the board needs government approval to play against Pakistan.
India last traveled to Pakistan for a bilateral series in 2005-06 under the captaincy of current Team India coach Rahul Dravid. However, India traveled to Pakistan in 2008 to participate in the Asian Cup.
