The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not support Pakistan Cricket Board Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi’s proposed “hybrid model” of hosting the Asia Cup, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported on Sunday.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), reiterated the Indian board’s stance in an unofficial meeting with some of the continental body’s members in Ahmedabad, the report said.

The implementation of the “hybrid model” would mean the group stage matches of the Asia Cup, other than those involving India, will be held in Pakistan before the tournament moves to a neutral venue.

Shah and the BCCI, however, aren’t in favour of PCB’s proposal and want the tournament to be staged entirely at a neutral venue, preferably Sri Lanka. A final decision, however, can only be made by the all-powerful executive body of the ACC.

“Now, the impasse hasn’t been broken and the final decision will only be taken at ACC executive board meeting that Jay (Shah) will have to summon,” an ACC board member told PTI.

“Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have already told the PCB that they have no issues playing their games in Pakistan,

“But India is not keen on supporting the hybrid model.”

The ACC executive body has 25 members — five Test-playing nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan), three with One-day International and T20I status and 17 more with only T20 status.

Could the issue of hybrid model be put to vote?

“There has to be a middle of the road solution as you can’t put this hybrid model to vote,” the member opined. “I mean if there are six nations playing the event, what is the locus standi of the 19 other nations who won’t play the tournament? On what basis will they vote when they have no stake?”

Sethi has told the ACC that having the Asia Cup in two countries means double mileage for broadcasters but the BCCI feels that it will be a logistical nightmare considering the UAE might not be the neutral venue.

In fact, the PCB has already told the ACC that they would expect at least 0.5 million USD from gate receipts of the two India-Pakistan matches if they are held in Sri Lanka, as the capacity of the values in Galle or Colombo isn’t as much as Dubai.

ICC PRESIDENT, CEO TO VISIT PAKISTAN

Despite pressure from the heavyweight BCCI, the PCB is unwilling to let go of the opportunity to host at least a part of the Asia Cup in Pakistan, given that it was awarded the hosting rights of the event by the ACC’s executive body.

The interim chief Sethi, however, has attempted to assist all parties involved in reaching a middle ground over the issue through the “hybrid model”.

Even if the model is approved, the PCB is expected to demand to play its matches of the upcoming ICC World Cup — which is set to be held in India in October-November — at a neutral venue, a tit-for-tat approach in face of the BCCI and the Indian government’s stubborn stance against sending its team to Pakistan.

Sethi has also discussed publicly the possibility of the PCB boycotting the World Cup if the “hybrid model” for the Asia Cup isn’t accepted, a move that would be cause of concern for the International Cricket Council (ICC), which hasn’t released the schedule of the 50-over showpiece despite it being less than six months away.

In what looks like an attempt to bend Pakistan’s stance, ICC president Greg Barclay and the body’s chief executive Geoff Allardice are set to land in Pakistan on Tuesday.

Mohammad Yaqoob adds from Lahore: The ICC duo will conduct meetings with Sethi and other two PCB officials in the two-day trip. The discussions, according to Dawn’s understanding, will be focused on the deadlock between the board and the BCCI over the Asia Cup and the World Cup.

“Of course, the issues related to the participation of the Pakistan team in the ICC World Cup is also important [topic discuss] as India has a very harsh stance about visiting Pakistan to compete in the Asia Cup,” a source close to the PCB told Dawn.

“The PCB has been pushed towards taking a strict line over its participation in the World Cup in India.

“The Pakistan team would have a higher number of security concerns in India as compared to the latter visiting Pakistan. But hopefully, the PCB will convince the ICC officials about its genuine concerns and a better solution to several problems will be taken out.”

The ICC’s recently proposed revenue distribution model, with which Sethi has clearly expressed his unhappiness, will also be talked about in his meetings with Barclay and Allardice.

It will be Barclay’s first visit to Pakistan and also the first tour of an ICC chairman to the country since 2008. Allardice, meanwhile, has regularly visited Pakistan, first as ICC general manager and then as the body’s chief executive.

This will also be the first time since October 2004 when both the top two ICC officials will together visit the PCB headquarters.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2023