Asia Cup: Former PCB chairman Sethi flays ACC for India-Pak match wash out

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi questioned the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on its decision to award the hosting rights of the Asia Cup to Sri Lanka as opposed to the UAE.

Lamenting the decision after the much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan was washed out due to persistent showers at Pallekele on Saturday, the PCB chief claimed that he had urged the ACC to award the hosting of the Asia Cup to the UAE but the cricket administrative body turned down his request citing "poor excuses".

After being rocked early in the face of hostile and incisive bursts from Pakistan's pace trio Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, India recovered to post a fighting total of 266.

However, just when the match looked to be on course for a thrilling finish, the heavens intervened and the match was eventually called off.

Ruing the washout, Sethi took to his official handle on 'X' to post, "How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. But this was forecast. As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai, they said. But it was as hot when the Asia Cup was played there last time in Sep 2022 or when IPL was played there in April 2014 and Sep 2020. Politics over sport. Unforgivable."

On June 15, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced a hybrid model for the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, with Pakistan hosting 4 matches out of 13 and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining 9 games.

ACC released an official statement to announce the dates, adding that the competition will feature two groups, with two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will face off in the final.

Sethi then backed the decision saying, "This hybrid model is a solution to a decade-long problem between India and Pakistan, and to resolve it I have come up with this solution."

"These four matches could have been more but it was not possible for teams to play here and then go there (Sri Lanka), so therefore it was separated like such that four matches will be played here and rest in Sri Lanka," he further said."What is it that we have accepted, it has been 15 years since they are not coming, it is nothing new. What we got; they were not giving us one match, we had only one option to boycott. But you know the implication for that," Sethi added.