"Sad to see that there hasn't been any response" - Najam Sethi on Jay Shah ignoring his emails

Newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najeem Sethi has alleged that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah ignored their requests to have a conversation.

Sethi replaced Ramiz Raja as the chairman of PCB as the latter was removed from the post following Pakistan's humiliating 3-0 defeat against England in Tests at home last month.

The 74-year-old's team at PCB put a lot of effort into connecting with the BCCI secretary after his appointment. However, he stated that they never received any response to their emails.

Speaking to Sports Today in an exclusive interview, Sethi said:

"We have tried from our end two-three times. Our ex-CEO, Faisal Hasnain, has sent emails. I thought if he [Jay Shah] is in Dubai then I will pay him a visit there. But it's sad to see that there hasn't been any response from him. After sending 2-3 emails we deserve a courtesy response. I would like to meet my younger colleague. I had some good friendships with Mr Anurag Thakur and many other BCCI officials."

Jay Shah, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council, on Thursday, January 5, announced the roadmap of the ACC events for 2023 and 2024. One of the premier events was the 2023 Men's Asia Cup, which will be played in September.

Sethi, who is in his second tenure as PCB chair, was amused by Shah's announcement as PCB was not consulted as the host of the 2023 Asia Cup regarding the scheduling of the event, albeit the dates and venues are yet to be revealed. The journalist-turned-administrator took a dig at Jay Shah on social media.

Thank you @JayShah for unilaterally presenting @ACCMedia1 structure & calendars 2023-24 especially relating to Asia Cup 2023 for which 🇵🇰 is the event host. While you are at it, you might as well present structure & calendar of our PSL 2023! A swift response will be appreciated. twitter.com/jayshah/status…

He further expressed his disappointment about PCB being sidelined for the scheduling of the tour. Sethi said:

"I am not disappointed but am amused. I wonder why this was needed when you could consult us through one telephonic call. To unilaterally do such things isn't great when you have a whole council. To my knowledge, nobody was consulted and everything was decided by him."

"Why a neutral country" - Najam Sethi resolute to host Asia Cup 2023 in Pakistan

In October 2022, Jay Shah stated that the Indian team won't travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 and the tournament will take place at a neutral venue.

The then PCB chairman Ramiz Raja threatened to boycott the 2023 ICC World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in India. Sethi reiterated the words of his predecessor and ruled out the possibility of playing the tournament at a neutral venue.

The PCB chairman said:

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We will consult the government. If the government says it's ok, then ok. If they say it's no then no. Why a neutral country? If we want to play the World Cup then let's go and play in Australia."

Pakistan last hosted the Asia Cup in 2008, which Sri Lanka won, while India hosted the continental event in 1990-91.