'If India has to participate in Asia Cup, then the venue cannot be Pakistan' - BCCI source

The Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] have made it clear to their Pakistani counterparts [PCB] that it has no issues in Pakistan Cricket Board hosting the 2020 edition of the Asia Cup, just that Team India will not travel to Pakistan to participate in the tournament.

Controversy around the venue to host the 202 edition of Asia Cup- which will be played in a T20 format in order to help the teams’ beef up their preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia- have galore ever since the Chief Executing Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan declared that if India does not come to Pakistan to play in the Asia Cup then the latter will boycott next years T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in India.

“The question isn’t about the PCB hosting the tournament. It is about the venue and as things stand now, it is quite clear that we would need a neutral venue. There is no way that an Indian team can visit Pakistan to even participate in a multi-nation event like the Asia Cup.”

“If the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is ok with an Asia Cup minus India then it is a different ball game. But if India is to participate in the Asia Cup, then the venue cannot be Pakistan,” the official said as quoted by the Quint.

BCCI official urges PCB to choose a neutral venue as they did in 2018

Back in 2018, India, who were scheduled to host the event proceeded to stage it at a neutral venue in the wake of political issues between the two arch-rivals. The BCCI official urged the PCB to do the same.

A neutral venue is always an option. BCCI did it in 2018,” the official pointed. Pakistan recently hosted the first of the three-part tour that Bangladesh are scheduled to complete after its cricket board [BCB] finally agreed to tour their neighbours but in three different instalments. They have already completed the first part where they lost the three-match T20I series 0-2.

The Tiger nation will return for the second round where they will play the first Test of the two-match series from February 07. The third and final part will commenc0st the Pakistan Super League which will see them lock horns with their Asian big brothers in a one-off ODI and the second Test match of the ICC Test championship in April.

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