Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi has decided to take a firm stand on the hosting rights of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 and said that the board is ready to bear the loss of revenue if the Asian Cricket Council didn’t accept their proposed hybrid model. The PCB has been under pressure since BCCI Secretary Jay Shah announced that India won’t travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023. Shah, who is also the president of ACC, stated last year that the tournament will be hosted at a neutral venue.
Sethi said that Pakistan was willing to bear the loss of revenue - around USD 3 million as it was “a matter of principle" as far as the hosting rights of the Asia Cup are concerned.
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“We have made it very clear that unless the Asia Cup is held on a hybrid model like we have proposed, that is India playing its matches at an offshore venue and Pakistan hosting the remaining games at home we will not accept any other schedule and neither play," he said.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in September this year but the has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the venue of the tournament as India has made it clear it can’t play in Pakistan.
The PCB chief has already proposed a “hybrid model" to host the Asia Cup where India will play its matches at a neutral venue while the other matches will be hosted in Pakistan.
“We will not lose our hosting rights," he added.
“Security is no excuse for them now and we have told them if their government is not giving them clearance to play in Pakistan show us some written proof of this," Sethi said.
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“When all other teams including Australia, England, New Zealand are playing in Pakistan without any issues there should be no security concerns for India to tour Pakistan." T
The PCB chairman said 80 percent of the revenues earned by the Asian Cricket Council came from Pakistan and India matches.
To a question he conceded that if the ACC accepts the hybrid model for the tournament it could have a bearing on the ICC World Cup as well.
Asked about a possible refusal by Pakistan to play in the World Cup, Sethi said relations with ICC were different and in such a scenario the relations could be affected negatively.
(With PTI Inputs)
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