The PCB proposed a hybrid model for the upcoming Asia Cup to the Asian Cricket Council. According to board chairman Najam Sethi, this model would allow Pakistan to play its Asia Cup matches at home, while India would play their matches at a neutral venue.
The BCCI has refused to allow the India team to travel to Pakistan for the tournament due to ongoing political differences between the two nations. As a result, they have demanded that the continental tournament be shifted from Pakistan to a neutral venue.
Despite this, Pakistan is hoping to host as much of the tournament within the country as possible. Sethi is optimistic that the visit of Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to Goa next month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council meeting will help find a solution.
“We have been told that, maybe, the ice will keep on melting – if this happens when the Champions Trophy is held in Pakistan in 2025, India would consider playing in Pakistan,” Sethi said at a press interaction.
“We have been advised to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue and also go to India for the World Cup,” he added.
Sethi suggested that in the event of Pakistan choosing to relocate all India matches in the Asia Cup to a neutral venue, India should reciprocate by implementing the same hybrid experiment during the upcoming 50-over World Cup, scheduled to take place in India during October-November of this year.
“We feel this hybrid experiment can also be applied when it is time for the World Cup,” Sethi said. “Our stance is that everything should be on a reciprocal basis. In the old times, yes, there were security issues in Pakistan. But now there are no issues, so what is India’s excuse for not playing in Pakistan?”
The proposed hybrid model for the Asia Cup has yet to receive a response from the ACC, which is being led by BCCI secretary Jay Shah. According to reports, the other members of the ACC are also in favor of holding the tournament at a neutral venue to reduce costs, despite Pakistan remaining as the host.
The Asia Cup is set to showcase six teams, including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and one team that will be determined after the ongoing qualifiers in Nepal.
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