Asia Cup 2023: BCCI and PCB likely to find solution over venue discord in coming weeks

The 2023 Asia Cup has been subject to many controversies so far. With Pakistan being announced as the tournament's host country earlier, tensions arose after BCCI secretary Jay Shah opined that the tournament would be held at a neutral venue. Following the statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that they would pull out of the tournament if it was hosted somewhere other than Pakistan.

The tournament is set to take place in September 2023. With India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan due to the political tension between the two countries, the PCB will be keen on finding a solution soon. Recently, Pakistan also threatened not to participate in the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is decided to be held in India; however, opting out of the World Cup would not be feasible for the PCB.

In a recent development, it has been reported by ESPNcricinfo that both the BCCI and PCB are swiftly working towards finding a solution for the venue dilemma. The solution could involve India and Pakistan playing the matches against each other at a neutral venue, whereas the rest of the tournament will be held in its original location. 

UAE, Oman, Sri Lanka, and England are potential contenders as overseas venues for the 2023 Asia Cup

However, although not confirmed yet, there have been several reports that the UAE, Oman, Sri Lanka, and England could be one of the venues that host five matches of the upcoming Asia Cup. It will also include at least two matches between India and Pakistan.

It is yet to be seen which venue is decided to host the five games; furthermore, it looks pretty likely that the BCCI and PCB are working together to broker a solution soon. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) are involved in the discussion, and a final decision on the matter is expected soon.