BCCI, PCB on collision course: ACC president Jay Shah announces ‘calendar’
The deepening tension between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (Pakistan Cricket Board) is evident when PCB chief Najam Sethi accused BCCI secretary Jai Ram Thakur of unilaterally announcing the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) two-year calendar. took a jibe at Shah. On Thursday, Shah announced the 2023 and 2024 schedule as ACC president on his Twitter handle. It has given place to the prestigious Asia Cup in September this year but the detailed schedule and host country are yet to be announced.
Pakistan is the original host of the Asia Cup this year but the BCCI is not keen on playing it there due to political tensions between the two countries. The then PCB chairman Rameez Raja opposed the BCCI’s stand and even threatened to boycott the 50-over World Cup in India. Raja argued that the decision to award the hosting rights to Pakistan was taken by the ACC’s board of directors and Shah could not take a call on shifting the tournament.
Sethi, who is considered close to former BCCI officials, however, reacted sharply after Shah released the schedule in the morning. “Thank you Jay Shah for unilaterally introducing ACC 5 and calendar 2023-24, especially with regard to Asia Cup 2023 which is hosted by Pakistan,” Sethi tweeted in a sarcasm. While you are connected with this you can also present our PSL 2023 structure and calendar. Asia Cup 2023 will be played between six teams which will be India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and one qualifier team.
Sri Lanka is the defending champion of the Asia Cup. He defeated Pakistan in the final of the tournament played in the T20 format last year in the UAE. India will be hosting the ODI World Cup later this year and keeping this in mind, the Asia Cup will be organized in the same format. India is understood to want to shift the tournament to UAE due to the current complex socio-political scenario between the two countries but Pakistan argues that if Australia, England and New Zealand can come and play without fear of security then they can play in a neutral venue. Why host the tournament in the country?
Releasing the calendar for the next two years, BCCI Secretary and ACC President Jay Shah said, “This event reflects our unparalleled efforts and passion to take the game to new heights. It’s a good time for cricket.” A total of 145 ODIs and T20Is will be played during the two-year cycle (between 2023-2024) announced by the ACC. There will be 75 matches in 2023 and 70 in 2024. Apart from this, the Emerging (Under-23) Asia Cup has also returned to the calendar. The men’s eight-team tournament will be played in the 50-over format in July this year. Next year December this tournament will be in T20 format. The Women’s Emerging Asia Cup to be held in June this year will be in T20 format and will feature eight teams.
