BCB takes clear stance on Asia Cup 2023
The event is set to be hosted by Pakistan
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will back the decision taken by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) with regards to this year’s Asia Cup.
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 interested in 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, which included four matches of the group stage in Pakistan with the remainder of the tournament taking place at a neutral venue, proposed by the PCB.
The BCB had, earlier, expressed reservations over UAE being one of the neutral venues due to extreme heat.
"We are interested to play the Asia Cup. Whatever model the tournament is held in, we are interested. If the ACC decides that the tournament will be played in Dubai and the other members agree, we will have to play there," BCB's cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus told local media on Monday.
"There is discomfort since we are focused on the World Cup. We are thinking of preparations and that's why we didn't want to play in Dubai. We are waiting on ACC's decision," he added.
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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