The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, Najam Sethi, has rejected any possibility of Pakistan giving up its right to host the upcoming Asia Cup.
Sethi said that losing the hosting rights would be a huge financial loss for the cricket board and that it was “not an option.”
The Asia Cup is scheduled to take place in Pakistan in September this year, but following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan, the future of the event hangs in the balance.
Sethi presented a hybrid model at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting last month, saying that if India didn’t want to play in Pakistan, the event would be hosted at a neutral venue.
Sethi said that Pakistan and India would play each other at least twice in the hybrid model and that this match generates more than half of the revenue.
He added that they had calculated the extra budget and presented it to the ACC. If India is willing to play in Pakistan, they are welcome, but if they want to play at a neutral venue, Pakistan is ready, he said.
Sethi maintained that there was no option other than hosting this event; otherwise, Pakistan would not play. He said that the PCB had done all of the planning, including the schedule based on the hybrid model.
“We have prepared a schedule and already presented it in the ACC meeting. We have also made a plan for logistics. On our side, everything is final. We just need a green signal,” he said.
