COLOMBO: The cricket boards of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have voiced their opposition to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) proposal for a hybrid model for the upcoming Asia Cup.
The PCB had been advocating for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to adopt the hybrid model, which would involve hosting all matches in Pakistan except for high-profile Pakistan-India encounters. The PCB had addressed logistic and technical concerns raised by the ACC in its repeated suggestions.
The PCB stated that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had no objections to playing the Asia Cup in Pakistan and claimed to possess email evidence to support their assertion.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh expresses reservations about playing in UAE
However, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh expressed reservations about playing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to logistic and travel-related issues.
Mohan DeSilva, secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, stated, “We have informed the ACC about our concerns but have not made a final decision yet.”
DeSilva further pointed out that the weather in the UAE can be quite hot, and suggested that the PCB consider hosting the Asia Cup in an alternative venue, as Sri Lanka had done in the past.
He added, “If Sri Lanka is offered the opportunity to host the tournament, we would accept it with Pakistan remaining the official host.”
