BCCI confident of moving 2023 Asia Cup out of Pakistan - Reports 

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has flown to Bahrain, where an emergency Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting will take place following the request of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi.

The issue of hosting rights for the 2023 Asia Cup is set to be resolved during the meeting, with India still adamant over its stance of not traveling to Pakistan for the tournament.

Sethi had expressed his interest in meeting with Jay Shah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the commencement of the International League T20 (ILT20). While he did not avail the opportunity, he did manage to convince the ACC to hold an emergency meeting to resolve the issue.

Amid all the chaos, the BCCI has remained firm on its stance since day one. They vehemently stated that they will not allow the Indian team to cross the border unless they get the green light from the government.

Stating that there is almost no chance of the 2023 Asia Cup being held in Pakistan, a BCCI source told PTI:

“Jay is in Bahrain for the ACC meeting. The BCCI’s stand will not change. We will not be traveling to Pakistan as we haven’t got any go-ahead from the government."

As a result, the other options that remain are in the form of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Sri Lanka. The UAE hosted the last two editions of the tournament in 2018 and 2022. Irrespective of the venue, it is expected that the hosting rights will remain with the PCB.

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The ACC, BCCI, and PCB at crossroads over Asia Cup 2023

ACC president Jay Shah presented the road map to the Asia Cup as well as the groups on social media, but without mentioning the host nation. Najam Sethi responded by taking a sly dig, thanking the ACC for presenting the schedule 'unilaterally'.

The ACC, however, came to a strong defense by stating that the PCB did not provide a reply to any of their email queries prior to the unveiling of the schedule.

The BCCI came to the decision not to send the team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup during the Annual General Meeting in October 2022. Then-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja even threatened to pull Pakistan out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be held in India, should the Men in Blue not reverse their decision.

The recent bomb blast in Peshawar, which reportedly killed 101 people and injured over 220, has weakened Pakistan's stance over holding the tournament.

Pakistan last hosted a tournament on home soil in the form of the 2008 Asia Cup. They also hold the right to host the 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy.

Will Team India travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup? Let us know what you think.

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