SADLY, there has been no response so far to Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi’s warning that Pakistan would boycott the World Cup if it is not allowed to host the Asia Cup as planned. India, which has refused to send its team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, has been silent — Mr Sethi says he has not heard back from the Asian Cricket Council head, Jay Shah, who is also the secretary of the Board of Cricket Control in India, regarding the matter. The International Cricket Council, too, has been quiet. The ACC is looking to move the Asia Cup to a neutral venue. The situation will snowball into a major crisis if not addressed soon. Pakistan has proposed a ‘hybrid model’ so India can play their matches in the UAE. However, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have objections to the model, forcing the PCB to suggest Pakistan’s hosting the first four matches before the tournament moves to the UAE. The PCB has said, however, that it expects India to adopt the same approach for Pakistan when it hosts the World Cup later this year — with Pakistan playing at a neutral venue. The stand-off threatens to continue; five months before the World Cup is set to begin, the schedule is yet to be announced. The ICC maintains it will be revealed once the Indian Premier League season ends.

The ICC’s silence is making matters worse. As the governing body of world cricket, it should step in. But as its proposed financial model for the next cycle shows, the ICC remains heavily reliant on India, which is set to receive almost 40pc of ICC revenues from 2024-27, with Pakistan obtaining just under 6pc. Matches between the rivals generate a huge amount of cash for the ICC. The council should realise Pakistan’s standing in the game and ensure that the sport does not suffer on account of India-Pakistan politics.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023