Since the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Bahrain did not result in a resolution, the ACC has postponed making a final decision on Pakistan’s bid to host the 2023 Asia Cup until March. After a month, they’ll get together again near the next ICC gatherings.
In October, ACC president and BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the 2023 Asia Cup would be held in a neutral venue because India cannot travel to Pakistan for the tournament. This has created a great deal of uncertainty for the game.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took offence to this. According to reports from Saturday, PCB chief Najam Sethi warned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his country might not travel to play in India during the 2023 World Cup if India did not play in Pakistan.
The impasse that has resulted from this needs to be revisited in March when the ICC and ACC meetings will follow one another. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) believes that the problems that will arise during the Asia Cup, the 2023 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy will all be the same. The PCB is likely to enter the March meetings with the same stance, so it may be up to the Pakistani government to make a call on the matter.
It is also believed that all ACC members were asked to check with their governments to see if their teams would be allowed to visit Pakistan.
PCB’s Response
However, on Sunday, the PCB issued a statement clarifying that “no such matters were raised in the meeting, nor did any member indicate any intention to seek government clearance for playing in Pakistan.”
As a result of the tumultuous political ties between the two nations, Pakistan-India relations have worsened over time. Since Pakistan’s limited-overs tour of India in 2012–13, India and Pakistan have not faced off in a bilateral series. The Indian men’s team hasn’t played a match in Pakistan since 2008, yet Pakistan last visited India for the 2016 T20 World Cup. Their interactions have been confined to ICC and ACC events.
Sethi stated in January that “whatever the stance is, it will be according to the interests of Pakistan.” The PCB is steadfast in its commitment to hosting the 2023 Asia Cup.
The ACC executive board also endorsed the ACC route tournaments’ inclusion of teams from Japan and Indonesia and the ACC’s schedule of events for the fiscal years 2023 and 2024.