Pakistan has not yet given an official word regarding its participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup set to be staged in India later this year. However, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi has said that he does not have any issues in dealing with the secrerary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jay Shah. His clarification comes as people on the outside tend to believe that the two may not have amicable relations due to the political tension between BCCI and PCB.
“We have no real problem, we had a long conversation and we are very friendly. The only problem is that he (Jay Shah) never told me the reason for not playing in Pakistan. He just smiles and says, ‘Well, you know how the situation is. Let’s not talk about it. Let’s find some other solutions,” Sethi said reported by HT.
Notably, there has been a lot of drama with regards to Asia Cup 2023 which is scheduled to be played in India. While BCCI has remained adamant on sending India to Pakistan, there has neither been an agreement in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) regarding India matches being played on a neutral venue with the rest of the fixtures being scheduled in Pakistan- a hybrib model proposed by the PCB.
With India reluctant to travel to Pakistan, the PCB chief has also said that they won't send their team unless India doesn't guarantee its participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
"We have gone so far to say play only four games in Pakistan and play rest of the games in the neutral venue. So we have given solution for not just one issue but also for World Cup and Champions Trophy (in Pakistan in 2025). Because if we don’t go to India and play there’s going to be a problem. And if India doesn’t come to Pakistan for Champions Trophy (2025), then there’s problem," Sethi said as quoted in a PTI report.