Watch: PCB chief’s old ‘Pakistan cricket can collapse without India support’ video goes viral after Pakistan threaten to boycott 2023 ODI WC

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday threatened to boycott the 2023 ODI World Cup after the BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), said on Tuesday India would not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, and that the tournament itself would be shifted to a neutral venue.

“The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue. I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue,” Shah had told the media on Tuesday.

Reacting to Shah’s statement, PCB said: “The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities, and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle.”

Interestingly, amid the tussle between the Pakistan Cricket Board and BCCI, an old video of PCB chief Ramiz Raja saying that PCB can “collapse” if India wants as 90% of the ICC’s funding comes from that country, which effectively means that the sport here is being run by “India’s business houses”, is going viral

“The ICC is a politicised body divided between the Asian and Western blocs and 90 percent of its revenues are generated from India. It is frightening. In a way India’s business houses are running Pakistan cricket and if tomorrow the Indian PM decides he will not allow any funding to Pakistan, this cricket board can collapse,” Raja had said.

If one goes by Ramiz Raja’s statement then it is pretty obvious that PCB is in no position to pull out of major ICC tournaments like the ODI World Cup since their board is dependent on ICC’s funding.

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan are set to clash in a sold-out Twenty20 World Cup blockbuster in Melbourne on Sunday.