Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi wants India to make the first move and travel to Pakistan to play in the Asia Cup. Sethi has also revealed that they have been advised to organise the Asia Cup at a neutral venue and also travel to India for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council next month and Sethi's remarks came in response to a question about the visit. "Our contention is that India should make the first move and come over to Pakistan to play the Asia Cup," Sethi said as quoted by Geo News. Meanwhile, he made a revelation that they are advised to organise Asia Cup at a neutral venue.
"We have been told that, maybe, the ice will keep on melting. If this happens when the Champions Trophy is held in Pakistan in 2025, India would consider playing in Pakistan. We have been advised to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue and also go to India for the World Cup," he added.
Sethi also said that they have proposed a hybrid model where India can play their Asia Cup matches at a neutral venue while Pakistan and other teams can play in the host country. "We have decided on this hybrid model that Pakistan plays its Asia Cup matches at home and India their matches at a neutral venue and that is our proposal to the Asian Cricket Council," said Sethi. As reported by PTI, Sethi sent a proposal on the hybrid model to the ACC. He also said that the hybrid model should also be applied at the time of the World Cup. "We feel this hybrid experiment can also be applied when it is time for the World Cup," Sethi said.
The Asia Cup was scheduled in September this year but BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, announced in October 2022 that India will not travel to Pakistan. In the first formal meeting between BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB chairman Najam Sethi held in Bahrain on February 4, the discussion regarding the venue of Asia Cup 2023 took place but the final decision was withheld.
