Asia Cup, 2023: Najam Sethi Proposes Hybrid Model Going Into ICC Tournaments

Najam Sethi, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, stated that the Indian team’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 would have an effect on future ICC tournaments hosted by the two neighboring nations, as Pakistan is also scheduled to host the Champions Trophy in 2025.

The dispute over the 2023 Asia Cup between India and Pakistan is getting worse even though the tournament is scheduled to start in three months. The Asian Cricket Council hasn’t decided where the high-octane tournament will be held, and BCCI president Jay Shah has already said that India won’t be going to Pakistan for the Asia Cup because of security concerns and political tensions between the two countries.

Najam Sethi told the Indian Express that India can accept the hybrid model if they want to. This model allows both teams to play their ICC games in different countries in the future. Men in Green can play the ODI World Cup games in Bangladesh or other neutral venues in 2023, and India can play the Champions Trophy games in other neutral venues in 2025.

“If India now wants to have a neutral venue and accepts the hybrid model, then we’ll use the same hybrid model in the World Cup. Pakistan can play its World Cup matches in Dhaka or any other venue to which India agrees, and similarly in the Champions Trophy. So all the other countries can come and play in Pakistan but India can play at a neutral venue. So this is a model that goes forward and resolves this political logjam,”

Najam Sethi said.

This year’s Asia Cup will be held in Sri Lanka, according to reports. It will be interesting to see if Pakistan participates if the tournament is moved outside of Pakistan.

We Shall Not Participate In The Asia Cup If The ACC Requires That All Games Be Held At One Location – Najam Sethi Najam Sethi stated that the Asian Cricket Council must approve the hybrid model, that no decision will be made regarding the Asia Cup in 2023, and that Pakistan will not participate in the Asia Cup if it is relocated outside of their country.

“No decision has yet been taken about whether it will be the UAE or Sri Lanka, or it could be a third venue. We don’t know. The first question is, is the hybrid model that we’ve proposed acceptable? Are we going to play by those rules? If the ACC insists that all games are to be held at one venue, we shall not play the Asia Cup,” 

Najam Sethi added.

“We have come to India twice since 2008 to play matches. India has not come to Pakistan. We didn’t object because we thought yes, it’s true that the security situation in Pakistan is a problem.”

he further added.

At this point, every one of the two-sided relations among India and Pakistan are suspended because of political reasons. The rivals do not compete in bilateral series and only compete against one another during ICC events or the Asia Cup. The two teams last played each other in a bilateral series in 2012/13, after which they only met at ICC events.