Bahrain: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is likely to shift Asia Cup 2023 from Pakistan and decide on an alternate venue in March.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi discussed the issue during a formal meeting in Bahrain on Saturday.
The chiefs of all the ACC member nations attended the meeting which was convened at the request of Sethi after the ACC released its itinerary but Pakistan wasn't named as the hosts for the Asia Cup.
The Asia Cup was initially allotted to Pakistan and was scheduled in September this year.
However Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, had said last October that India will not travel to Pakistan due to diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Next ACC meeting in March 2023
ACC said in a statement that it agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensure the success of the tournament.
Further decisions in the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board Meeting to be held in March 2023.
While a decision will come only next month, a senior BCCI official said that it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will host the tournament.
'No sponsors without Kohli, Rohit and Gill'
"With India deciding against travelling to Pakistan, the tournament will have to be shifted. A tournament without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will have the sponsors back out," the official said.
Pakistan is currently going through an economic crisis. The inflation has hit the country very hard as one USD is now equal to 277 Pakistani Rupee. Organising a high-profile tournament like Asia Cup, even if ACC pays a grant, could burn a hole in PCB coffers.
So strategically, if the tournament is held in the UAE, there is every possibility that all the member nations will also get to earn apart from the broadcast revenues.
In another decision, the ACC has decided to hike the annual budget allocated for Afghanistan Cricket Association to 15 percent from six.
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