‘I don't agree with it’ - Zaka Ashraf gives his take on Asia Cup’s hybrid model

The upcoming Asia Cup has been home to a truckload of controversies. The tournament was originally supposed to be hosted by Pakistan, however, due to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) refusal to come and play in Pakistan, a hybrid model of the tournament was accepted where the majority of the matches will be played in Sri Lanka with team India playing their games in the island nation, while first few games only will take place in Pakistan.

With Zaka Ashraf all set to return as the chairman of the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), he opined that the hybrid model of the upcoming Asia Cup is an injustice, and he even expressed his desire to have the model reviewed very soon.

"I don't agree with it. According to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the tournament should be held entirely in Pakistan. But major matches are played elsewhere, and only minor teams like Nepal play in Pakistan. Injustice has been done to Pakistan," Zaka Ashraf said during a media interaction in Islamabad.

I will try to do what is in the best interest of Pakistan: Ashraf

Furthermore, with Ashraf expected to be the next chairman of the PCB, he opined that he would be doing everything in his power to make changes to the Asia Cup’s hybrid model in the limited time that is available.

"I will try to do what is in the best interest of Pakistan within the shortest possible time. There are many pending issues, and I am not delving deep into the matter since I haven't officially taken over," Zaka Ashraf said.

Zaka Ashraf’s comments on the matter attracted no response from either the BCCI or the ACC (Asian Cricket Council). The same could mean that further changes to the hybrid model of the Asia Cup are highly unlikely to be made. The schedule states that four matches will be played in Pakistan, with nine of them being hosted by Sri Lanka. It could be interesting to see what effect Ashraf’s comments will have.