Pakistan-Sri Lanka consider possibility of playing ODI matches ahead of World Cup
The Men in Green will tour the Island nation in July this year
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have discussed the possibility of playing ODI matches ahead of the ICC World Cup later this year in India.
Pakistan are set to tour Sri Lanka in July for a two-Test series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship.
However, both the boards could replace the Test matches with ODIs or consider the option of playing the 50-over matches alongside the red-ball fixtures.
There is also uncertainty around Pakistan’s participation in the Asia Cup, which the PCB is supposed to host in September this year.
It must be noted that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to send their team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and is keen on ensuring that the event is held at a neutral venue. However, the PCB is not keen on hosting the event outside Pakistan since it would affect its efforts with regards to the return of international cricket in the country.
The BCCI is also unlikely to accept the hybrid model proposed by the PCB, which would have given India the option to play their matches at a neutral venue.
Earlier, the chairman of the PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi, called for a rational approach to solve the looming crisis that threatens the successful hosting of the Asia Cup and the country's participation in the ODI World Cup this year.
Talking to the media on the occasion of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) meeting, Sethi said the Pakistan team’s chances of traveling to India for the ODI World Cup are low.
“In case of India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan to compete in the Asia Cup, chances are there that the Pakistan government would not allow the Men in Green to cross the borders for their World Cup participation. In that case, cricket will be the ultimate sufferer,” Sethi said.
“There should be a middle way to solve problems that surely threaten the smooth hosting of ICC and ACC events. In case of India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, the government will not allow us to travel to India to figure in the World Cup matches,” he added.
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