Pakistan Cricket Board set to host Asia Cup at neutral venue

Cricket returned to Pakistan after a decade when the Sri Lankan national cricket team toured the nation in the year 2019. Much to the delight of the fans, Pakistan celebrated Test cricket’s return to the nation with a 1-0 series victory against Sri Lanka. The visitors bounced back and inflicted a 3-0 T20I series whitewash on the hosts.

Pakistan rose from the ashes and defeated Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series by winning 2-0. While Sri Lanka was the first country to play a full-fledged series in the country, Bangladesh national cricket team were most recently in the country as they just finished playing three-match T20I series followed by one Test.

The hosts won the T20I series by 2-0 and followed it up with a victory in the first Test as well. Pakistan will play one-off ODI against Bangladesh on the 1st of April before playing the second Test match from April 5 to 9. Case in point, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had recently expressed that they would host the Asia Cup event at home.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no problems with PCB hosting the 2020 edition of the Asia Cup keeping in mind about the venue which should be a neutral one as flying to the neighboring country is not the right option at the present. For the unversed, BCCI had also hosted the 2018 Asia Cup in UAE because of political relations between India and Pakistan, which also made it tough to obtain visas for Pakistan players to play in India.

Pakistan to hold Asia Cup at the neutral venue: Ehsan Mani

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ehsan Mani who is well aware that the Indian team will not be touring Pakistan to play Asia Cup, has come up with good news in favour of India. While addressing the media reporters at the press conference, Ehsan Mani said that the upcoming Asia Cup will be hosted at a neutral venue scheduled for this September.

PCB chairman also confirmed that Pakistan is still the host of the forthcoming event while adding that he was least bothered about the statements made by India’s cricket body, BCCI. “Asia Cup will be hosted by Pakistan however the event would have to take place at a neutral venue. If we insist on hosting the event in Pakistan, the Indian team will not take part. We do not care what the BCCI says,” Mani added in a statement.

Mani also echoed that no foreign player was receiving any additional monetary incentives to tour Pakistan. “In the past, the PCB had to pay the West Indies’ players an additional sum of 25 thousand dollars in order to convince them to tour the country however no foreign player is currently receiving any additional forms of monetary incentives,” he concluded.