The President of the Asian Cricket Council and the Secretary of the Indian Cricket Board, Jai Shah, has released a remarkably unexpected statement regarding the decision to not host all the Asia Cup matches in Pakistan.
Jai Shah Reveals Why Asia Cup Skipped Pakistan
Jai Shah, the President of the Asian Cricket Council, conveyed to ACC members via email that broadcasters and media rights holders displayed hesitance in hosting all Asia Cup matches in Pakistan.
Security concerns and economic conditions were cited as the primary factors for this reluctance.
He stated that in his role as the ACC president, I remained committed to organizing the tournament. Consequently, Sri Lanka became a co-host, and we also held matches in Pakistan using the hybrid model.
However, it’s worth mentioning that there were significant alterations in the PCB leadership, leading to some back-and-forth negotiations regarding crucial matters such as tax exemptions and match insurance.
Members of the Asian Council expressed apprehensions about conducting one-day matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during September, mainly due to the summer rains.
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Furthermore, there were concerns about player injuries and performance issues caused by the scheduling.
It’s important to emphasize that Pakistan has experienced no security concerns, with prominent teams such as Australia, England, and New Zealand having toured the country in the past year.