Asia Cup: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh not in favour of Pakistan's hybrid model; don't want to play in UAE

Pakistan's suggested hybrid model for co-hosting Asia Cup 2023 in their country and the UAE is reported to have fewer takers as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have shown their reservations against it, reported Cricbuzz.

Pakistan Cricket Board came up with the hybrid model of co-hosting after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament and is insistent on it. However, Sri Lanka Cricket and Bangladesh Cricket Board have shown their concern about the September heat in the Gulf nation.

The SLC and BCB officials brought up their concerns during a meeting with PCB chairman Najam Sethi, who argued that back in 2018 50-over Asia Cup was held in the UAE in September for which the BCCI was the designated host.

He also cited that the tournament was also played in August-September 2022 in the country with SLC as the designated host while the 2020 IPL was also held in the Middle East.

However, it's worth noting that the 2018 Asia Cup faced criticism as many Indian players complained of heat during the afternoon match. The other events didn't face such issues as they were T20 matches and were played in the evening.

BCCI and Jay Shah as the ACC chief are yet to comment on the matter but Asia Cup taking place all together seems to be in danger at the moment. Asian Cricket Council (ACC) officials have made it clear earlier that a hybrid model of hosting the Asia Cup in multiple nations is impractical as the board doesn't have the budget for it.

The current political tension between India and Pakistan has been the reason behind the entire controversy as Jay Shah, in the capacity of ACC chairman, last year announced that tournament won't take place in Pakistan.

PCB, under their former chairman Ramiz Raja, strongly criticised the decision and threatened to boycott from 2023 World Cup in India as well. However, the stance has been lenient since Sethi came on board as the PCB official has been lobbying with the ACC officials to find a middle ground on the matter.