'My lips are sealed,' says Sethi on Asia Cup 2023 matter
The event is scheduled to be played in Pakistan
KARACHI: Najam Sethi, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee's chairman, said Asia Cup 2023 matter will be discussed in next Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in March.
Sethi was asked about outcomes of ACC meeting during a press conference here on Tuesday.
"My lips are sealed," responded Sethi. "We are going to meet again on the sidelines of ICC meeting in March. There was no resolution in last meeting but we will take up this matter in the upcoming meeting. Beyond that, I can't say anything."
An emergency meeting of ACC was held in Bahrain earlier in February which was attended by Sethi. Among other issues, fate of Asia Cup 2023 was also discussed but no decision was made.
"The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensure the success of the tournament. An update on the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board meeting to be held in March 2023," said the ACC statement following the meeting.
If India doesn't agree to touring Pakistan for the event, there are chances that tournament could be moved to a neutral venue. UAE and Qatar are being considered as possible neutral hosts for the tournament.
However, PCB has told the ACC meeting any steps in subsequent of moving tournament out of Pakistan will be subject to the approval of the Government of Pakistan.
Sources said that Sethi told ACC president Jay Shah that if you won’t play in Pakistan we won’t play in India.
Despite being considered one of sport's greatest rivalries, India and Pakistan have not met on home soil in any version of the game since 2012, and only play each other in multinational tournaments on neutral grounds.
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