ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Cricket Board strongly react over the statement of theBCCI President Sourav Ganguly.
Speaking to IANS, a PCB official said that while the Pakistan board remainsthe event’s host, only the ACC can take a call on the matter and the samewill be done keeping in mind the interest of all the countries involved.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly might have announced on Friday that the AsiaCup will be held in Dubai and both India and Pakistan will take part in thetournament, but hosts Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear thatonly the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) can decide on the venue of thetournament, which will be played in the T20 format this year keeping inmind the World T20 in Australia in October.
“The ACC is the event authority and therefore the only competent body toshift the venue of the ACC T20 Cup scheduled in September.
The ACC is meeting in Dubai on March 3 under the chairmanship of NazmulHassan in which it will discuss and decide on the venue, keeping in mindthe interests of the associate members,” the PCB official said.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Ganguly had said: “Asia Cup will be heldin Dubai and both India and Pakistan will play.”
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Earlier, a BCCI official had told IANS that the hosting rights are not anissue and it is just a case of picking a neutral venue as the Indian teamwouldn’t travel to Pakistan for the T20 tournament that will see the topAsian teams in action.
“The question is not about the PCB hosting the tournament. It is about thevenue and as things stand now, it is quite clear that we would need aneutral venue.
There is no way that an Indian team can visit Pakistan to even participatein a multi-nation event like the Asia Cup.
If the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is okay with an Asia Cup minus India,then it is a different ball game. But if India is to participate, the venuecannot be Pakistan,” the official had said.
