The hosting of the Asia Cup continues to be a bone of contention between India and Pakistan and now the sources from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have suggested that one way out can be if Pakistan remains the host and some games can be held in UAE, where India can play all its games. The sources even offered that India can also play finals in the UAE, in case the team qualifies for the finals.
The development came as Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) has made it clear that India will not travel to Pakistan if the country hosts the ODI Asia Cup which is scheduled for September this year.
Jay Shah is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) which conducted a meeting in Bahrain on 4 February after releasing its itinerary and Pakistan wasn’t named the host of the tournament.
The meeting was conducted at the behest of PCB chief Najam Sethi, who on Thursday that the matter remains unresolved and more meetings regarding the hosting of the Asia Cup will be held next month on the sidelines of an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting.
“What can I say about what happened in the Asian Cricket Council board meeting? There was no resolution,” Sethi told reporters when asked if Pakistan will host the tournament in September.
However, the sources from the PCB claim that the solution regarding organizing matches in UAE remains on the table and it appears that things will come to that compromise. “Sethi made it clear at the ACC meeting that PCB wants to host the event and some of the matches at home,” the source said according to the news agency PTI.
The news agency has reported that three venues Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah are the favorites to host the tournament in UAE. “A shift of venue has been postponed till March. But be rest assured that with India not going to Pakistan, the tournament will have to be shifted,” a senior BCCI official privy to the development had told PTI.
With inputs from PTI
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