Pakistan are not keen on touring India for the U-19 Asia Cup. (Source: Reuters)
The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to raise an objection with Under-19 Asia Cup for being scheduled in India. The tournament is set to take place in November in Bengaluru this year.
Even though India has already been assigned the hosting rights, the PCB will apply for a neutral venue. They will bring up the resolution in the annual general meetings of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that is scheduled for August 11 and 12.
Head of PCB executive committee Najam Sethi has been quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying, “Since Pakistan is current chair of ACC, we will discuss this matter on August 12 in Colombo. There are secure neutral venues outside India and Pakistan where the championship can be held.”
Even though the PCB want their boys to participate in the tournament, they do not want them to go through inconvenience A PCB official who did not want to be named said, “We definitely want to play the tournament, being an important member in the ACC. But playing in India in present circumstances is not possible. There will be a visa glitch and a lot of other off-field issues will prevail. We don’t want to face any inconvenience ahead of the event.”
On Monday, former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad called on the PCB to boycott playing against India in all ICC events. Before that, India’s Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel had announced that no athlete from Pakistan will be allowed to play in the country.
