New Delhi: Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan are currently on the churn as contrasting messages emerge from present and former cricket administrators of both countries.
While Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny and his deputy Rajeev Shukla praised the warmth they received during their visit to Pakistan, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and former Pakistan Control Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi are at odds over the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
Binny and Shukla were in Lahore to attend an official dinner to celebrate Pakistan’s hosting of the Asia Cup. Pakistan is hosting four ODI matches while the remaining nine were shifted to Sri Lanka.
The Indian cricket team last toured Pakistan in 2005-06. Pakistan last visited India in 2012 Cricketing ties have gone cold after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
But the hope of bonhomie and a possibility of an India-Pakistan bilateral series were doused after Sethi accused Shah and members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) of not moving the Asia Cup from his country to the UAE.
Sethi blamed Shah for the scheduling issues related to the Asia Cup 2023. In its response, the BCCI argued that the scorching heat in the UAE was the primary reason for rejecting the PCB’s proposal to play in the neutral venue.
The PCB former head fired the first shot with his tweet Saturday after rain disrupted the highly anticipated India-Pakistan cricket match. “How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai, they said…,” he tweeted.
In an extensive response Tuesday, Shah, who is also the ACC president, explained the rationale for the reluctance to play ODI cricket in the UAE.
“All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan. This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country,” he said.
“…I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the PCB in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” he said, referring to Sethi stepping away from the PCB chairman race in June.
The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in T20 format, Shah said.
Feedback to ACC highlighted concerns about playing in the UAE as it could potentially lead to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the ICC Cricket World Cup, he asserted.
Sethi, meanwhile, kept dropping details of his interactions with Shah and ACC members through tweets.
“I pleaded for three approvals in various meetings with Jay Shah and ACC colleagues: Play all matches in Pakistan as international cricket had fully returned to Pakistan. When this was shot down I proposed that we play five matches in Pakistan and eight in the UAE. This also they rejected and hinted at giving the Asia Cup hosting rights to Sri Lanka if we didn’t budge. Finally, after we said we might not participate, they scheduled four matches in Pakistan and posted the rest in Sri Lanka (sic),” he tweeted Monday.
On Wednesday, Sethi again tweeted saying BCCI and ACC informing Pakistan of shifting the next India-Pakistan match from Colombo to Hambantota because of rain forecasts.
“Within one hour they changed their mind and announced Colombo as the venue. What’s going on? Is India afraid to play and lose to Pakistan ? Look at the rain forecast!” he tweeted.
So far, rains have affected three cricket matches in Sri Lanka while the India-Pakistan match was called-off. Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal are playing in this edition of Asia Cup. Sri Lanka are the reigning Asia Cup champions.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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