The BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday confirmed that Team India will not be travelling to their neighbouring country Pakistan for the ODI Asia Cup next year. Instead, the BCCI will insist on a neutral venue for the continental championship.
“Neutral venue for Asia Cup is not unprecedented and we have decided that we will not travel to Pakistan,” Shah, also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), said after the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. “I have decided that we will play at a neutral venue,” he added.
The 2022 edition of Asia Cup, allotted to Sri Lanka took place in the UAE. The 2023 edition, a 50-over tournament, a pre-cursor to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India, is supposed to be held in Pakistan. The BCCI had initially kept the option of sending its team to Pakistan but Shah clarified that the question now does not arise.
The decision was made after seeing the political tensions between the two countries.
India and Pakistan have not played in a bilateral series since 2013. In fact, the last time that India contingent travelled to Pakistan was for three Tests and five ODIs way back in 2006. While the hosts won the Test series 1-0, the Rahul Dravid-led Team India decimated Pakistan 4-1 in the ODI leg.
Ahead of the 2022 Asia Cup, which Sri Lanka won by defeating Pakistan in the summit clash, when Rohit Sharma was asked about the possibilities of a bilateral series between India and Pakistan, the Indian captain said: “If I had the option to answer this question, I would have given it. Respectable boards make these decisions. This is not in our hands but if boards decide to play, then we will play.”
