Asia Cup 2023: Will BCCI accept PCB's hybrid venue model?
Asia Cup 2023 remains doubtful regarding its venue. With the final decision to be taken during the ACC executive board meeting, whether BCCI would accept PCB's hybrid model remains the top concern.
FollowThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not support Najam Sethi's proposed hybrid model of hosting the 2023 Asia Cup wherein four preliminary rounds and two super four games will be held in Pakistan with India's matches and the final taking place in a neutral country. It is understood that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Jay Shah, who is also the secretary of the BCCI, during an informal discussion with some of the continental body's members in Ahmedabad has made the Indian board's stand clear.
For a tournament to happen at a neutral venue, the all-powerful executive body of the ACC needs to take the final call, and therein lies the problem. "Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have already told the PCB that they have no issues playing their games in Pakistan. But India is not keen on supporting the hybrid model. Now, the impasse hasn't been broken and the final decision will only be taken at the ACC executive board meeting that Jay (Shah) will have to summon," an ACC board member said.
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The ACC executive body has 25 members -- five Test-playing nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan), three with One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status and 17 more with only T20 status. Could the issue of the hybrid model be put to vote? "There has to be a middle-of-the-road solution as you can't put this hybrid model to vote. I mean if six nations are playing in the event, what is the locus standi of the 19 other nations who won't play in the tournament? On what basis will they vote when they have no stake?" the ACC member said.
The hybrid model does have a logistical issue. What Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi has told the ACC is that having the Asia Cup in two countries means double mileage for broadcasters, but the BCCI feels that it will be a logistical nightmare considering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) might not be the neutral venue. The PCB has already told the ACC that they would expect at least $0.5 million from gate receipts of the two Indo-Pak matches if they are held in Sri Lanka, as the capacity of Galle or Premadasa Stadium isn't as much as Dubai.
