New Delhi, September 5: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah responded to recent comments made by former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Najam Sethi regarding the Asia Cup 2023 schedule, claiming that ACC chose to host Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka despite the rains because other teams were reluctant to play ODIs in the UAE heat.
Following Sethi’s remark that the Asia Cup should be held in the UAE rather than Sri Lanka, which is now suffering excessive rain, Shah defended the decision.
According to Shah’s statement, “I was committed to finding a workable and mutually accepted solution in my role as ACC President. In order to do this, I agreed to the hybrid approach that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in conjunction with the ACC management recommended.
“However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” he said.
Fans and even past players criticised the ACC after the exciting match between India and Pakistan on Saturday, September 2, was cancelled owing to rain.
Shah also stressed the dynamics of the competition and the players’ health as the main concerns in the sweltering heat of the UAE.
“The T20 format was used in the UAE during the Asia Cup 2022. The fact that a T20 tournament’s dynamics cannot be easily matched to those of a 100-over One-day format must be emphasised. Regarding playing One-Day matches in the UAE in September, ACC members reported receiving feedback from their individual high-performance squads, according to Shah.
A schedule like that may have raised player tiredness and injury risk, especially in the weeks leading up to the crucial ICC Cricket World Cup. said Shah.
Since a few days ago, there has been rumour that the Super 4 games may be moved to Hambantota due to severe rains in the capital city of Sri Lanka.
