The BCCI has made it clear that the Indian cricket team won’t be travelling to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup. Speaking to the press after the AGM, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that the tournament will be played at 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 told media on Wednesday (October 18).
As per PTI, the Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly threatened to quit the 2023 World Cup in response to India’s decision to not travel to Pakistan. Though an official word hasn’t come out from PCB.
Amid the PCB’s threat, a video of its board’s chief, Ramiz Raja, is going viral on social media. During one of the events last year, the former Pakistan captain had said that India is financially running PCB and that it will collapse if India stops the funding.
“The ICC is a politicised body divided between the Asian and Western blocs and 90 per cent 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,” he had said.
It is to be noted that India was slated to host the 2018 Asia Cup but the tournament was moved to UAE. In 2022, Sri Lanka was supposed to host the tournament. The continental tournament was again shifted to UAE. Now that the BCCI has confirmed that India won’t go to Pakistan, UAE looks set to host the tournament again.
As far as Pakistan’s participation in World Cup goes, there’s still a year left to that went and a final word should be out in the next few months.
