LAHORE:Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi confirmed on Friday that the national team will play at least two Asia Cup 2023 matches at home.
Following the Asian Cricket Council (ACC)’s announcement of accepting the PCB-proposed hybrid model for Asia Cup, fans were curious to know the schedule of the event.
According to ACC, Pakistan will host four matches before the Asian event moves to Sri Lanka for the remaining nine matches. Since India will play their matches in Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s only group match in their country could be against Nepal. The other three matches in Pakistan are likely to be played in the second group which features Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
Najam Sethi said that the host country will play at least two matches at the home venue. “Pakistan will play at least two matches at home. We are figuring this out, let’s wait and watch until we finalise the schedule,” he told reporters during a press conference here at the PCB Headquarters.
Najam Sethi also responded to speculations regarding the change in PCB chairmanship, saying he will accept any decision taken by the Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PCB’s patron. “I have heard speculations surrounding PCB chairmanship. I don’t get involved in this matter because it depends on the patron,” he said.
“Our responsibility was to restore the 2014 Constitution. At this point, we are ready for elections with regional and departmental representatives on board. We are waiting for two nominees after which I will announce the elections. “If you ask me, I don’t want a mess. If the patron and Zardari Sahab want me to continue, I will be okay with it. If they want Zaka Sahab to become the PCB chairman, I would welcome their decision and leave,” he added.
About Pakistan’s participation at World Cup in India, Najam Sethi said that the PCB has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) following the release of a draft schedule of this year’s ODI World Cup to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list. “We have written to the ICC that we can’t give approval or disapproval to this (World Cup schedule),” Sethi said.
“It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play. There is no point asking us if we will play in Ahmedabad. When the time comes, first it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go. Our decision will rest on these two important conditions,” the PCB head added.
The Pakistan-India ODI World Cup 2023 match is set for October 15 in Ahmedabad. Pakistan are scheduled to play across five venues during the league phase. They haven’t toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup.