Huge Setback For PCB! Asia Cup 2023 Shifted To Sri Lanka, Pakistan Likely To Pull Out: Report

There were always doubts over Pakistan hosting the continental tournament after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that team India won't be travelling there.

BCCI announced that team India won't be travelling there and demanded to stage the tournament at a neutral venue. 

Source : AFP

Asia Cup 2023 News: In what comes as a huge setback for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) reportedly decided to move Asia Cup 2023 out of Pakistan, PTI reported. There were always doubts over Pakistan hosting the continental tournament after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that team India won't be travelling there and demanded to stage the tournament at a neutral venue. A report in The Indian Express suggests that Pakistan might even pull out of 2023 Asia Cup. India and Pakistan play international matches only in ICC tournaments due to diplomatic tension between the two nations.

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Amid tussle with the BCCI, Pakistan had earlier suggested a bizarre alternative, a 'hybrid model' to host the tournament, which has been rejected by the ACC. PCB wanted India to play its Asia Cup 2023 matches in UAE. Whereas, Pakistan would host the rest of the teams on home soil. 

Asia Cup 2023 will most likely be hosted by Sri Lanka, as extremely humid conditions in UAE in the month of September might cause injury to players. It will be interesting to see whether Pakistan still participates in the six-nation tournament, set to be held from September 2 to 17.

PCB, however, still have some hope as the matter is likely to be discussed again on Tuesday and the board is hopeful that the ACC members may change their mind.

"Najam Sethi (PCB chairman) was in Dubai today to procure support but to his horror there were no takers for his proposal of Pakistan playing its games in Karachi or Lahore and India playing in UAE. Sri Lanka was always with BCCI and now even Bangladesh Cricket Board seemed opposed to the idea," an ACC source told PTI.