The political situation between India and Pakistan has raised doubts about India’s acceptance of the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the Asia Cup.
Mohammad Asif, a former Pakistani player, expressed his skepticism, stating that it would be difficult for India to accept the proposal and participate in the tournament. He believes that the Asia Cup may be shifted to Sri Lanka or Dubai instead as political situation is not good in Pakistan.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced that they would not support the hybrid model suggested by the PCB. A meeting between the officials from the three member boards of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) failed to reach a conclusion on this matter.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the final decision on hosting the 2023 Asia Cup would be made during the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, with the presence of ACC dignitaries.
Although the discussions did not yield a decision, the BCCI plans to further discuss the possibility of a neutral venue, inviting the PCB for further talks. The ACC, chaired by Jay Shah, has entrusted Oman Cricket chairman Pankaj Khimji, also the ACC vice-president, with the responsibility of resolving this contentious issue.
While the BCCI is open to playing in Sri Lanka with the PCB as hosts, they are concerned about playing in the UAE, which is the PCB’s preferred neutral venue. The BCCI believes that extreme temperatures in September would make it impractical to play cricket in the UAE during that month.