Pakistan wants to host more than four matches of Asia Cup 2023
Karachi. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will make a demand for hosting more than four matches of the Asia Cup in Pakistan at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting to be held in Dubai on Sunday. All stakeholders, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the PCB, had accepted a ‘hybrid model’ for the Asia Cup following which the ACC announced that four matches of the tournament, to be played between August 31 and September 17, would be held in Pakistan while Nine matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
The ‘hybrid model’ was proposed because the BCCI had made it clear that it would not send its team to Pakistan given the strained relations between India and Pakistan. Zaka Ashraf, the new chairman of the PCB Cricket Committee, however, made his intentions clear to the officials of the ACC member boards who were in Durban for the ICC meeting earlier this week. Ashraf was not in office when the dates for the Asia Cup were announced. The full schedule of the Asia Cup is yet to be announced but Pakistan is unlikely to get to host more matches.
PCB sources said, “Pakistan will raise the issue in the ACC meeting that Pakistan should be handed over to host more than four matches due to the rainy season in Sri Lanka.” will be given. The ‘hybrid model’ was proposed by PCB’s Cricket Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi and accepted by ACC members including India. The PCB’s Cricket Management Committee was later disbanded. Both the matches between India and Pakistan can be held in Dambulla. According to sources, Zaka Ashraf wants Asia Cup matches to be organized at other places including Multan besides Lahore. PCB officials are confident that they will get a chance to organize more matches. Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal will participate in this continental tournament.
