The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has allegedly decided to relocate the Asia Cup out of Pakistan, a major loss for the country.
The Asia Cup 2023 has been up for controversy for months, with Pakistan and India taking opposing sides in the argument over where the continental competition should be staged. The Indian squad first refused to visit the Asian country for to security reasons, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) then suggested an alternative. Sarfaraz Ahmed, a former wicketkeeper-batsman and captain of Pakistan, has spoken on the situation.
“We shouldn’t even bring up India’s refusal to visit Pakistan. We ought to stand by our demand that India visit Pakistan and play. In a video posted by Cricket Pakistan, Sarfaraz is seen suggesting that Pakistanis want to see an India-Pakistan encounter in the same manner that they enjoyed watching players like Steve Smith, Joe Root, and James Anderson play there.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC)’s decision to shift the Asia Cup outside of Pakistan on Monday is the most recent blow in Pakistan’s bid to host the tournament. According to reports, the member countries of the Asian cricketing organisation rejected PCB’s bid to organise the event using a “hybrid model.”
“Every team is coming to Pakistan. We should not make an appeal to teams to come and play in Pakistan; it is our right to have cricket in Pakistan. Pakistan’s players and PCB have worked hard to reintroduce cricket to the country. Our security forces, intelligence unit, and army men have all played important roles in reintroducing cricket to Pakistan. I believe India should visit Pakistan and that every team that has visited and played here should support Pakistan. “There isn’t a country in the world that can compete with the way we host teams,” he continued.
According to the article, Sri Lanka has emerged as the front-runner to host the six-nation event since excessively humid temperatures in the UAE in September might cause player injury.
