The new Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi has said that the decision to send the Pakistan team for the ODI World Cup in India next year will be taken at the government level.
This comes after the previous PCB chief Ramiz Raja had threatened to boycott the 2023 ODI World Cup and not send the Pakistan team to India unless India came to Pakistan for the Asia Cup before that.
ACC chief and BCCI secretary Jay Shah in October had said that the Asia Cup 2023 which is to be hosted in Pakistan will be moved to a neutral venue as the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan, which led to furious reactions from Ramiz Raja, which led to the PCB writing a stern letter to the ACC.
"If the government says don't go to India, we will not go. Where Pakistan and India's cricket relations are concerned, let's be clear. (The) decisions on whether to play or not play tour or not tour are always taken at the government level. These are decisions only taken at the government level; the PCB can only seek clarity," Sethi told a press conference in Karachi.
"I will see what the situation is and then move forward. Any decision we take, we have to make sure we are not isolated,” Sethi added.
Sethi also said he or the PCB had no objection if Raja decided to return to the commentary box. "I have a lot of respect for Ramiz and we would never oppose him returning to the commentary box,” he said.
Sethi also defended the decision of the present Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to remove Raja as PCB chairman.
“I was chairman in 2018. When Imran Khan's government was formed, I resigned although some people in (the) corridors of power told me no one will remove me. I have always believed that (the) prime minister has the right to choose his candidate to run cricket affairs, so I resigned,” he said.
Sethi also confirmed that he was in touch with Pakistan's former head coach, Mickey Arthur as he wanted him back.
"Mickey is presently contracted with Derbyshire and I have spoken to him. The situation will become clear in the next 8-10 days and we have sought his advice on the new coaching setup for the team. When he (Arthur) was with the team, he did a lot of good work and he was responsible for pushing Babar Azam forward. He also maintained a lot of discipline and fitness in the team. I believe he will be good for the team again if he is available,” Sethi said.
(PTI inputs)
