ICC chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice are currently in Lahore to seek guarantee from the PCB that it will not push for implementing a hybrid model for Pakistan’s matches in the ODI World Cup in India later this year.
According to a PTI report, the ICC head honchos have specifically travelled to Lahore to get assurance from PCB on the national team's participation in the 50-over World Cup in October-November.
Notably, the BCCI and PCB are in a tussle over the staging of the Asia Cup 2023. While Pakistan have the hosting rights, 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 their matches in UAE while Pakistan would play their matches in homeland. However, the Asia Cricket Council is yet to take a final call.
Amid the conflict, PCB chief Sethi has said if India don’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, they will also demand that their World Cup games are held at neutral venues.
“The ICC and World Cup hosts, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are concerned with the hybrid model being pushed by Najam Sethi who heads the cricket management committee of the PCB.
“Although the hybrid model has been suggested by Sethi for the Asia Cup which precedes the ICC event, the concern remains that once accepted for the regional event the PCB might also then ask the ICC to implement it for the World Cup when it comes to Pakistan playing in India,” PTI quoted an insider source as saying.
“Naturally neither the ICC nor the BCCI want such a situation since Pakistan's unequivocal participation in matches in India would guarantee the success of Indo-Pakistan matches and also the tournament itself,” he added.
Another source said this was the main reason why BCCI secretary Jay Shah was not willing to accept the hybrid model for the Asia Cup and support having three or four matches of the tournament in Pakistan and the remaining games in UAE or Sri Lanka.
The source also claimed that if the Asia Cup 2023 is shifted out of Pakistan, it could have an adverse effect on the World Cup as well.
“The ICC officials are trying to work as a bridge between the PCB and BCCI and resolve the outstanding issues pertaining to the Asia Cup and World Cup.”
(With PTI Inputs)
