Pakistan is all set to host the Asia Cup in 2023, but the major concern around the event has been India’s participation, which was uncertain until the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The top BCCI officials held the Annual General Meeting in Mumbai yesterday, October 18, and decided not to travel to Pakistan for the continental championship, instead demanding that the event be shifted to a neutral venue.
While speaking to the media BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah, said, “Neutral venue for Asia Cup is not unprecedented and we have decided that we will not travel to Pakistan. I have decided that we will play at a neutral venue. ”
It is worth noting that a BCCI official stated last week that the decision to send the Men in Blue to Pakistan is subject to permission from the Indian government, but it is definitely on the board’s agenda right now.
The involvement of the BJP-led government in the country’s cricketing affairs is not for the first time and last week a lawmaker stated that Ganguly was forced to leave the top BCCI position after refusing to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan hosted Australia for a full-fledged series, the West Indies for an ODI series, and England for a T20I series. England will return for the Test and ODI series later this year while New Zealand is also scheduled to tour the country at the end of the year.