Islamabad: BCCI had refuted the idea of sending their team to Pakistan for this year's Asia Cup and kept on reinstating that the entire tournament should be held at a neutral venue.

To break the deadlock, PCB proposed a hybrid model, under which the initial four matches of the group stage in the primary phase of the tournament shall be played in Pakistan. Moreover, the next phase, including matches of India and finals, is to be played at a neutral venue. In that scenario, Pakistan will play their group stage match against Nepal on home ground. Likewise, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will also be playing their pool matches in Pakistan.

The PCB has designated Dubai as a favored neutral location within a hybrid framework.

However, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have objected that playing day-night matches in UAE in September will be quite challenging for the players due to extreme heat. PCB's position is that Asia Cup and the IPL have taken place before in UAE around the same time and in similar weather conditions, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Sethi has also presented England as an alternative venue for Asia Cup. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket is trying their best to host the Asia Cup in their country.

Upon contact, a senior PCB official revealed that they have received a message that a final decision regarding Asia Cup venue is expected this week. There are hardly any objections left on the hybrid model, however there is still a deadlock over the neutral venue for the second phase of Asia Cup. After starting the tournament in Pakistan, PCB wants to take it to UAE or England. There is a large number of Asian fans in both countries, so it will be a good source of revenue for them.

However, India and other countries are interested in playing their matches in Sri Lanka. PCB is concerned about the possibility of low revenue from gate money from there. Recently, two top officials of the Emirates Cricket Board toured India in order to persuade the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allow UAE to host second phase of the Asia Cup. However, they have not received any positive response so far Prior to BCCI’s meeting regarding 2023 World Cup and Asia Cup on May 27, officials from the Sri Lanka Cricket and Bangladesh Cricket Board are scheduled to meet BCCI authorities as they have been invited to watch the IPL final. PCB has not received any official invitation so far. Even if an invitation is extended, it will not be possible to obtain a visa so quickly. The Indian board seems to be have accepted Pakistan’s newly-proposed hybrid model for Asia Cup.

However, in return, BCCI wants assurance from PCB that they will send their team to India for World Cup. PCB has clarified that the participation of the Pakistan team is subject to government permission.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 25 2023

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