Asia Cup to be shelved? ACC has no plans to postpone tournament as rumours in Pakistan media float

New Delhi, May 1: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has quashed the rumours circulating in Pakistan media about Asia Cup being postponed as a parallel tournament, excluding Pakistan, is being planned.

Reports in Pakistan media have been doing the rounds that the ACC has sent a proposal to stop Asia Cup and host a five-nation tournament, excluding Pakistan, instead. However, sources on Monday (May 1) junked such reports, a PTI report claimed.

Asia Cup 2023 To Be Postponed?

A report in Pakistan media claimed that if Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not agree to shift Asia Cup to a neutral venue, the tournament could be taken away from the country. The BCCI has claimed it will not send Indian Cricket Team to Pakistan for the multi-nation competition.

The PCB owns the hosting rights of the 2023 Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in ODI format. However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, maintained that the Men In Blue will not travel to Pakistan due to the severed bilateral relations between the two nations.

PCB Proposes Hybrid Model For Asia Cup 2023

The PCB has proposed to host Asia Cup on a 'hybrid model', where Pakistan play their matches on home soil, while India play at a neutral venue - in all likelihood Dubai.

It is understood that the BCCI wants the entire tournament to be shifted to the UAE - which has three grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi - much like the 2018 and 2022 editions when India and Sri Lanka were the tournament hosts.

"There has been exchange of messages but no discussion or proposal to postpone the Asia Cup has been floated," an ACC Board member, privy to discussions on the sidelines of an ICC meet in Dubai, told PTI on the conditions of anonymity.

"Secondly, if the Asia Cup is cancelled, PCB will be intimated first. Nothing of that sort has happened till now. The ACC chairman (Shah) hasn't yet put anything on record.

"To postpone or cancel the event, the ACC will have to call an Executive Board meeting. The chairman (Shah) can call the meeting in seven days (virtual or physical). To date, there is no intimation about any such meeting," the source added.

The ACC source said that, to the best of his knowledge, the last official mail exchange between the PCB, ACC and BCCI was an invitation sent to the Indian team with the assurance of the highest degree of security and best hospitality.

"But, obviously, it is difficult for India to travel to Pakistan in the current sensitive political environment," he agreed. Read More: PAK vs NZ: Pakistan joins India and Australia in elite list after 5-wicket win over New Zealand in first ODI

The other issue is amount of money the official broadcaster has committed on telecast deals, that includes at least two assured India-Pakistan games. If the two teams make the final, the third game would be a bonanza.

"We must remember the media rights and the agreement with Star Sports, who have paid millions for, at least, two Pakistan vs India matches in the Asia Cup," he said.

It is learnt that when the informal discussion was held between the ACC members about hosting the tournament at a neutral venue, the source confirmed that BCCI did get support from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

"Look, if Asia Cup is cancelled after the ACC chairman summons an Executive Board meeting, the ramifications will not just be Pakistan's World Cup participation but also PCB's FTP calendar and bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan or Bangladesh. "The situation is still very fluid," the source said.

(With PTI inputs)