Rawalpindi. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Rameez Raja said on Friday that Pakistan may consider pulling out of the Asia Cup 2023 if they are stripped of hosting rights for the tournament due to the Indian team not touring their country. .
Earlier in October, BCCI secretary Jay Shah completely rubbished speculations about Team India going to Pakistan for the event and said that the Asia Cup will be held at a neutral venue.
“It is not that we do not have the hosting rights and we are requesting to host it,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rameez as saying on the sidelines of the Pakistan-England Test in Rawalpindi. He said, “We won the rights fair and square. If India doesn’t come, they won’t come. If the Asia Cup is taken away from Pakistan, we will probably be out.”
PCB chairman Ramiz Raja has said on the sidelines of the Pakistan-England Rawalpindi Test that Pakistan may consider pulling out of the 2023 Asia Cup if their hosting rights are withdrawn on account of India not traveling to the country.
(file photo) pic.twitter.com/BX7Bu5Ag78
— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2022
Earlier in November, Rameez Raja had said that if India chooses to pull out of next year’s Asia Cup in Pakistan, Pakistan will also not travel to India to participate in the 2023 50-over World Cup.
Significantly, the Asia Cup of 2023 is to be held in Pakistan in September. Soon after this the ODI World Cup will be held in India in October. Due to which this time Asia Cup will be of 50-50 overs instead of 20-20. The last Asia Cup was to be held in the UAE in August 2022, but the hosting rights were with Sri Lanka.
Rameez Raja On Friday told Pakistani media that, “Our position is clear that if they (Indian team) come then we will go to the World Cup, if they don’t come then let them do so. Let them play without Pakistan. If Pakistan does not participate in the World Cup. Who will see India next year? We will be aggressive, our team is showing performance, we have defeated the biggest business cricket team in the world, we have played in the final of T20 World Cup.
He said, “I have always said that we have to improve the economy of Pakistan cricket and it will happen only when our team performs well, we have done it in 2021 T20 World Cup. Beat India, we beat India in the Asia Cup. Pakistan cricket team has defeated the billion dollar economy board twice in a year.
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Following Shah’s statement that the Asia Cup should be held at a neutral venue, the PCB issued a statement saying, “The overall effect of such statements has the potential to divide the Asian and international cricket communities and may affect the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and 2024- This could affect Pakistan’s travel to India for future ICC events in India in the 2031 cycle.”
After PCB’s statement, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said that India will host the 2023 World Cup with all the teams. He said that India is not afraid of any threat and it will not stop it from hosting the tournament.