In response to India’s strict stance against hosting the Asia Cup in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is exploring options to adopt a hybrid model for the ICC World Cup, which is slated to take place in India in October-November.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) previously blatantly informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that they would not be travelling to Pakistan for the Asian event this year due to a lack of government approval.
The PCB has resisted having their World Cup matches in India this year in response to their refusal. A neutral location for contests against Pakistan during the ICC World Cup is being discussed. Bangladesh is probably going to end up serving as Pakistan’s neutral site.
The idea was discussed outside of the board meetings in Dubai, where the World Cup participation of Pakistan and the Asia Cup participation of India were both hot subjects.
The ICC Champions Trophy, which will be hosted in Pakistan in February 2025, may be affected if India does not participate in an Asia Cup there, the PCB has been quick to point out. However, according to the cricket website, it has only been mentioned as a possibility and there haven’t been any official discussions on the topic.
It should be mentioned that England, the UAE, Oman, Sri Lanka, and even Sri Lanka are candidates to host India games during the 2023 Asia Cup. If India qualifies, both the final and the India-Pakistan contests will take place at a neutral site. In the Asian competition, the two bitter foes will square off at least twice.
Sri Lanka held the Asia Cup (T20 format) in the UAE the previous year. Due to its economic crisis, the island nation was unable to hold the event there. The competition, which will be contested in a 50-over format this year, will aid in the teams’ World Cup preparation.
