“Chennai or Kolkata, it might have made sense” – Najam Sethi mocks Ahmedabad as Indo-Pak World Cup venue
Amid the ongoing tussle between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the Asia Cup, PCB chairman Najam Sethi has hit back at the Indian cricket board ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The journalist-turned-cricket administrator said that India’s decision not to travel to Pakistan will have repercussions since they also own the hosting rights of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Sethi further questioned the BCCI’s intentions amid reports that Ahmedabad might host the Indo-Pak game. He now wants Pakistan’s World Cup fixtures to be moved out of India for security reasons.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Najam Sethi said:
“When I heard that the Pakistan match was to be in Ahmedabad, I smiled and said to myself – ‘this is one way to make sure we don’t come to India’. I mean if you’d said Chennai or Kolkata, it might have made sense.”
The 74-year-old indicated that if PCB, who also owns hosting rights of the 2023 Asia Cup, are forced to adopt a hybrid model to let India play outside Pakistan, then they should also be treated fairly. He said:
“If India now wants to have a neutral venue and accepts the hybrid model, then we’ll use the same hybrid model in the World Cup. Pakistan can play its World Cup matches in Dhaka or any other venue to which India agrees, and similarly in the Champions Trophy."
“No decision has yet been taken” – PCB chief on whether Asia Cup will be played in UAE or Sri Lanka
Najam Sethi further added that no decision has been finalized on the 2023 Asia Cup venue. He said that it remains uncertain whether the hybrid model will be accepted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The continental tournament was initially scheduled to take place in Pakistan, however, India stated that they won't travel to the neighboring nation, citing the political tension between the two nations.
In the wake of it, Sri Lanka and the UAE have also emerged as the frontrunner to host the Asia Cup. However, the Asian Cricket Council is yet to take a final call on the same.
On this, Sethi said:
“No decision has yet been taken about whether it will be the UAE or Sri Lanka, or it could be a third venue. The first question is, is the hybrid model that we’ve proposed acceptable? Are we going to play by those rules? If the ACC insists that all games are to be held at one venue, we shall not play the Asia Cup.”
As per the hybrid model, all the remaining four countries, barring India should play at least one game each in Pakistan before moving to a secondary venue for the remaining seven games of the continental tournament.