Asia Cup 2023: If recent reports of “The Telegraph India” are to be approved, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is planning an Asia Cup without Pakistan in 2023. It would be quite unlikely for Babar Azam and company to compete in the ODI World Cup 2023 slated to be played in India if this media narrative turns out to be correct and Pakistan is left out of the Asian tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) proposed “hybrid model” has been rejected by other nations, said Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, and ACC chairman. Shah recently brought up the subject with the top officials of the member countries and pitched that the tournament should take place in just one nation, particularly Sri Lanka.
According to reports, all ACC nations, with the exception of Pakistan, (who were the official hosts of the Asia Cup tournament), have agreed to participate in the continental championship. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still committed to the “Hybrid Model,” which calls for certain games, including those against India, to take place in a neutral location like the United Arab Emirates while the other matches take place in Pakistan.
Sources claim that the forthcoming executive board meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) would have a direct message for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The notification will state that all of the other competing nations have voted overwhelmingly in favor of hosting the event in Sri Lanka. Despite being chosen to host this edition of the tournament, the PCB failed to get support for its plan. As a result, the PCB has little choice but to either accept Sri Lanka as the tournament’s host country or withdraw from hosting the Asia Cup 2023 altogether.
India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will be the four countries that might compete in the Asia Cup 2023 if the Pakistan Cricket Team decides not to go. However, India’s rejection to visit Pakistan and its refusal to accept the hybrid model might prompt PCB to take further actions, such as boycotting the ODI World Cup in India.
A report from PCB said, “The PCB has reportedly informed ICC officials that their participation in the World Cup depends on government clearance.”
Greg Barclay, the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and Geoff Allardice, the CEO, traveled to Lahore to speak with the PCB about their participation in the ODI World Cup. What topics are discussed at this meeting is anticipated to be made public later on Thursday or Friday when the PCB issues an official media release.
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