ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi, said there is a “very real possibility” that Pakistan may boycott this year’s World Cup in India if they lose the Asia Cup hosting rights.
Bilateral cricket between Pakistan and India has suffered as a result of poor political relations of both countries over the last decade, and both countries currently only play each other in multi-team tournaments at neutral spots. India has ruled out traveling to Pakistan in September for the Asia Cup, citing safety concerns, and the Pakistan Cricket Board has offered to let them play their matches in the UAE in a “hybrid model.”
India wants to move the tournament away from Pakistan
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to respond officially to the offer, Sethi stated that India wanted the entire tournament moved away from Pakistan. He went on to say that this might have major consequences for the 50-overs World Cup this year in India, as well as the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
He stated in a Zoom interview that they want all of the matches to take place in a neutral spot. So that we don’t have problems in the future, BCCI should make a decent, sensible decision. He stated that India should not be faced with a situation in which we boycott the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup, and then India boycotts the Champions Trophy.
“That will be a huge mess.”
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also expressed reluctance to play in the UAE, citing heat and logistics concerns, fuelling speculation in local media that the Asian Cricket Council may consider moving the entire tournament out of Pakistan.
That, according to Sethi, is “not acceptable,” and Pakistan may boycott the World Cup if that happens. If India agrees to the hybrid format for the Asia Cup, Pakistan will look for reciprocal terms for their team at the World Cup in October and November, according to Sethi.
He said that we are also concerned about the safety of our team in India, whereas Pakistan plays its matches in Dhaka, Mirpur, the UAE, or Sri Lanka. He said this is the solution for the time being till India decides to play Pakistan bilaterally, both inside and outside of Pakistan.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah was not available for comment immediately, but neither the Indian board nor the International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that any World Cup matches outside of India are being considered.
Sethi said that Pakistan, World Cup champions in 1992, was a top cricketing country that should not be overlooked and that they would have to discuss the Asia Cup problem with the ICC. He further said that the ICC should step in, but his sense is India would not like the ICC to step in, especially during the Asia Cup.
The ICC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Pakistan was deprived of international cricket following the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, and it has had to work hard in recent years to convince the top teams to continue touring the country. According to Sethi, we worked extremely hard to bring international cricket back to Pakistan.
According to Najam Sethi, every major country has visited Pakistan in the recent few years. They were all pleased with the security safety measures. That is no longer a problem. Sethi accused the BCCI’s “stubbornness” for failing to turn any match between India and Pakistan into the biggest rivalry in cricket.
He stated that the India-Pakistan game is the most important game in town. It’s bigger than Australia vs. England or India vs. Australia. “How can we jeopardize that by being stubborn?”
He also said that the Indian bridge team, Indian kabaddi team, and Indian baseball team have all visited Pakistan then why cannot the Indian cricket team can come to Pakistan?
