Asia Cup 2023 : PCB wants its ODI World Cup matches taken out of India

For the ODI World Cup scheduled in October-November, Pakistan on 5 February said that it will not travel to India if the Indian cricket team does not go to Pakistan for the Asia Cup scheduled in September.

The following decision was taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at Saturday’s Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board meeting, Hindustan Times quoted an official present in the meeting.

Though India’s BCCI officials do not see this bringing any change in their own position on the matter.

Now the BCCI-PCB stand-off will now be taken up when the ACC reconvenes in Dubai in March, a day ahead of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) quarterly board meeting.

On Saturday, the ACC, whose chairman is BCCI secretary Jay Shah, issued a statement of there being “a constructive dialogue” on the Asia Cup. However, there was no consensus on the proposal to relocate the tournament to a neutral venue. “If that is how one wants to proceed, even Pakistan’s matches during the ODI World Cup in India should be moved to neutral venues. Both are multi-nation events,” a PCB official said.

Even though PCB officials see the chances of shifting the ODI World Cup to a neutral base less likely, BCCI are hopeful. “It’s not for the BCCI to take a decision but for our government to decide. The PCB needs to understand that,” a BCCI official said.

“Even when Asia Cup hosting rights were awarded to Pakistan, it was with the prior knowledge both cricket boards have always had, that any travel to the other nation will require a government nod, something we do not have at this point in time,” another BCCI official said.

On the issue of PCB’s threat of Pakistan not travelling to India for the ODI World Cup, BCCI officials argue that “it is a matter for the ICC to look at” as India is just the host nation.

Also, on the security in Pakistan as cricket hosts, PCB issued a statement on Sunday which said, “Sri Lanka has recently visited Pakistan in 2017 and 2019, while Bangladesh has toured Pakistan in 2020. In the 2023-2027 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which has been agreed and announced by all ICC Members, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have confirmed their tours to Pakistan.”

As per details, India visited Pakistan last in 2008 for the 50-overs Asia Cup, losing the final to Sri Lanka in Karachi. Since the 2012-13, no bilateral cricket between the neighbours has not taken place. Pakistan has since travelled for the 2016 T20 World Cup, the last