ICC Chairman, CEO to meet PCB chief to discuss issues regarding Pakistan’s World Cup participation in India: Report

PCB has threatened to boycott the ODI World Cup in India if the Asia Cup is shifted outside Pakistan.

By Salman Anjum - 29 May, 2023

ICC chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice are all set to meet PCB chief Najam Sethi in Lahore to discuss the issues related to Pakistan’s participation in the ODI World Cup in India later this year, PTI reported on Sunday (May 28)

Besides Sethi, the top ICC officials will meet PCB’s COO Barrister Salman Naseer and other senior board officials.

Notably, PCB chief Sethi has maintained his stance that if India don’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, they will also demand that their World Cup games are held in Bangladesh.

As per the report, Barclay and Allardice will like to get a clearer picture and also break the deadlock between the PCB and BCCI, given the fact that an India versus Pakistan game taking place in Bangladesh will be a very bad advertisement for BCCI as well as the ICC.

Talking about the Asia Cup 2023 conflict, Pakistan have the hosting rights but the BCCI officials have time and again reiterated that India will not travel and the event would be shifted to a neutral venue.

As of today, the Pakistan Cricket Board has not agreed to the demand, leading to a deadlock. Recently, PCB proposed a ‘hybrid model’ to host the tournament. In such a model, India would play all their matches outside Pakistan.

According to PTI, the PCB insider claimed that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal have conveyed to ACC chairman Jay Shah that they have no issues playing a few games in Pakistan while the rest of the competition should be held in Sri Lanka in September.

It will be Greg Barclay’s first visit to Pakistan while Geoff Allardice has been to Lahore multiple times since taking charge in the ICC.

Barclay will also be the first ICC Chairman to tour Pakistan since ICC President Ray Mali’s visit in 2008.

(With PTI Inputs)

By Salman Anjum - 29 May, 2023

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