The Pakistan Cricket Board have threatened to pull out of Asian Cricket Council if they are not allowed to host the four matches of the first round of games of Asia Cup 2023 amidst the ongoing rumours that the continental tournament could be shifted to Sri Lanka.
The PCB are eager to host four first-round games in the host nation and they are looking to build pressure on the Asian Cricket Council but threatening to pull out of ACC.
PCB Chairman Najam Sethi had proposed a ‘hybrid model’ wherein the host nation would play some of their home games on their own soil apart from the match against India. However, the proposal has been rejected by other boards.
Furthermore, the PCB have rejected the proposal to host the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka.
According to a PTI report, a source close to the developments confirmed that the PCB were looking to host four games at home during the Asia Cup.
“Yes, Najam Sethi as part of the plan B of the hybrid model proposed by us for the Asia Cup has informed the ACC this week in Dubai that PCB would be satisfied hosting four games at home," a reliable source close to the cricket board said.
The source further confirmed that if ACC wouldn’t agree to PCB’s demands of hosting their home games in Pakistan then not only would they boycott the Asia Cup, but they will also pull out from the Asian Cricket Council.
The four matches that Pakistan want to host on their home soil are the matches between the Babar Azam-led unit against Nepal, Afghanistan match against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as the meeting between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The source also added that Sethi had told the ACC officials that PCB would be happy playing most of its remaining matches in Dubai and the tournament’s majority games can be held in Dubai including the final.
“The one challenge now facing the ACC and us as hosts is that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India are insisting the event shouldn’t be held in UAE in September as the weather is very hot," the source said.
“In the recent past, BCCI has organized the entire (half) of IPL in UAE between September and November (in 2021) while the last two Asia Cups have also been held in UAE during the same period," the PCB source reminded.
As per multiple reports, other boards had rejected the idea of the Asia Cup happening in the Gulf given the incredible heat in September in the Middle East, given all of the teams would be preparing for the ODI World Cup in India during the Asia Cup.
With PTI Inputs