Istafa Ali
Najam Sethi, Chairman of the Management Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has stated that there is “not an option” for Pakistan to give up its right to host the upcoming Asia Cup. He made this statement in response to the possibility of Pakistan giving up its right to host the tournament.
Pakistan is set to play host to the event that everyone is waiting for in the month of September this year. In spite of this, the future remains uncertain as a result of India’s decision to cancel its trip to Pakistan.
After the presentation of a hybrid model at the meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) one month ago, the de facto chairman of the PCB said that the loss of hosting rights would result in a significant financial loss for the cricket board and that this was “not an option.”
“The explanation is straightforward: we devised a strategy to stage the Asia Cup using a hybrid format. If India does not like to compete in Pakistan, we would be happy to host them in a place that is not associated with either country “he remarked in response to a question during a segment that aired on Geo Television.
“At the meeting with the ACC, we presented the hybrid model. At least two matches between Pakistan and India are scheduled to take place. This match is responsible for bringing in more than half of the total money. We have computed the additional budget, and we have informed ACC of our findings “he said.
“If India is interested in playing in Pakistan, they are more than welcome to do so. We are prepared to host their match in a neutral location if they so want. There is no way around becoming the host of this competition; if we are not, we will not participate “He continued to insist.
Sethi said that all of the planning, including the timeline, had been completed by PCB and that it was based on the hybrid model. “A timetable has been crafted by our team, and it has already been presented at the ACC conference. In addition to this, we have devised a strategy for the logistics. From our point of view, everything is resolved. We only need a green signal,” he insisted.
The Asia Cup is still at a standstill as India refuses to go to Pakistan owing to political disagreements between the two countries.
The previous year, former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja made some bold statements after Indian cricket board secretary Jay Shah, who is also the president of the ACC, stated that India “cannot” send a team to Pakistan and added that the Asia Cup would be moved to a neutral venue. Ramiz Raja’s statements came after Jay Shah said that India “cannot” send a team to Pakistan.
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Pakistan was taken aback by his declaration the year before, and the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board at the time warned that it may “divide” the world cricket community.
Since Sethi took over in December of the previous year, he has been working on finding a solution to the problem with the Asia Cup. This year’s Asian tournament will most likely take place in September and will be contested in the 50-over format.
