Ahead of the board meeting of the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) in Dubai on Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to request more matches in Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. This development is expected to create another dispute between India and Pakistan cricket, especially as the Pakistan government has yet to decide whether to send their team to India for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Pakistan hosting the Asia Cup 2023 became a major issue after the BCCI stated that India will not send its team to Pakistan under any circumstances. The matter was resolved by agreeing to hold four matches in Pakistan and nine matches in Sri Lanka, with Team India playing all its matches in Sri Lanka.
“Pakistan will argue at the ACC meeting that since there is a forecast of rainy weather for venues in Sri Lanka, which is set to host nine games of the Asia Cup, Pakistan should be allowed to host more than four games at home,” said a source from the PCB.
ACC meeting to finalize Asia Cup 2023 schedule
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is convening to finalize the schedule for the Asia Cup. The ACC members, including India, have approved the hybrid model presented by Najam Sethi, the former chairman of the dissolved cricket management committee of the PCB.
It is suggested that the two matches between India and Pakistan in the tournament will take place in Dambulla.
According to a source, Zaka Ashraf is advocating for additional matches to be held in various venues, such as Multan, instead of limiting them to just Lahore.
“The authorities in charge have expressed their desire to start the event with a match between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, where they expect a larger crowd compared to Lahore,” he added.
The reason behind this suggestion is that they believe the Multan stadium is smaller than the Lahore stadium, but it will provide a more packed atmosphere for the opening match.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal will compete in the Asia Cup 2023.
(With PTI inputs)