Pakistan threatens to leave ACC if not allowed to host at least four Asia Cup matches

Pakistan cricket’s Najam Sethi. (Photo credit AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images)

The off-the-field rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the most talked about subjects in international cricket at the moment. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have already denied playing Asia Cup in Pakistan while in return, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi mentioned that their government will not permit them to play upcoming ODI World Cup matches in India. Meanwhile, at this point, the upcoming Asia Cup is on the verge of getting called off but the Men in Green are desperate to keep the hopes alive.

Speaking about the same, Sethi stated that Pakistan should be allowed to host at least four matches of the Asia Cup, otherwise, they would have no other option but to pull out of the continental body, the Asian Cricket Council. Notably, the governing body also rejected the idea of hosting the matches in Sri Lanka, after the island country was named favourite to host the upcoming edition.

“Yes, Najam Sethi as part of the plan B of the hybrid model proposed by us for the Asia Cup has informed the ACC this week in Dubai that the PCB would be satisfied hosting four games at home,” a reliable source close to the cricket board told The New Indian Express.

The report also claims that Sethi had proposed Pakistan versus Nepal, Afghanistan versus Bangladesh, Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka v Bangladesh matches in Pakistan. On top of that, Sethi gave his permission to let the rest of the tournament be conducted in Dubai, including the all-important final.

‘Last two Asia cups held in UAE during same period’ – source on teams denying to play in UAE over weather issues

Commenting on the heated topic of hosting rights, the aforementioned source also claimed that teams had earlier played the same tournament in UAE during the same period of time but are now refusing to play to put Pakistan’s hosting rights in a fix.

For the unversed, it was suggested that the tournament be played in UAE which, for long, had served as Pakistan’s home venue. However, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India had reportedly denied to play in the UAE due to excessive heat.

“The one challenge now facing the ACC and us as hosts is that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India are insisting the event shouldn’t be held in UAE in September as the weather is very hot.

“In the recent past, the BCCI has organized the entire (half) of IPL in UAE between September and November (in 2021) while the last two Asia Cups have also been held in UAE during the same period,” the source added.