ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again threatened the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pull out of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in the aftermath of the decision taken by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to relocate the venues of the Asia Cup 2023.
In the meeting held yesterday among the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) office bearers, it was concluded that a neutral venue will be announced for the Asia Cup 2023, which will be held in the 50-over format this year. The new venue for the Asia Cup 2023, which most likely will be UAE, will be finalised in the month of March.
The sources who have their ear close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirm that the cricket board isn’t pleased with the decision of the ACC to relocate the tournament.
“PCB isn’t happy with this thinking that Asia cup could be relocated to some neutral venue, name of UAE is on top of the list which might get the hosting but if it happens then Pakistan will not travel to India for ICC World Cup 2023,” said the source.
The last edition of the Asia Cup, which was held in 2022 in the T20 format, was held in the UAE and the chances of UAE hosting it again are very high. Meanwhile, Qatar has also shown its keenness to host the continental tournament after having hosted a couple of franchise-based cricketing tournaments in the recent past.
Earlier, Jay Shah, chief of the ACC, has already made it clear that the Indian men won’t travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 due to security reasons and prevailing political tensions between the two nations.
Shah, who also holds the position of secretary in the BCCI, also confirmed that the new venue of the Asia Cup 2023 will be announced after the second round of the Executive board meeting of ACC members in March.
“The ACC affiliates met today and there were a lot of constructive discussions. But the shift of venue has been postponed till March. But be rest assured that with India not going to Pakistan, the tournament will have to be shifted. A tournament without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill will have the sponsors back out,” a BCCI source told the news agency PTI following the meeting among the ACC officials in Bahrain.
It’s important to note that this is not the first time the PCB has intimidated the BCCI to boycott the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India, if they are prevented from hosting the Asia Cup 2023. Ramiz Raja, the former PCB chairman, during his tenure explicitly said that his team won’t visit India if they are denied the opportunity to stage the Asian tournament in 2023.