‘Mat aa bhai kisne bulaya’ – Fans troll Pakistan Cricket Board over their comments on ACC meeting

Pakistan’s hosting rights for the Asia Cup later this year are scheduled to be decided upon officially in March. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) conference in Bahrain ended without a settlement. In a month, the cricket governing bodies will reconvene to decide whether Pakistan would receive the hosting rights for the Asia Cup or not.

India won’t visit Pakistan, according to ACC President and Indian Cricket Board Secretary Jay Shah, and the tournament will take place at a neutral location. The PCB Chief at the time, Ramiz Raja, was not pleased with this statement and threatened to have the Pakistan cricket team pull out of the ODI World Cup in India in 2023 if the Men in Blue didn’t come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

“The PCB wishes to clarify no such matters were raised in the meeting, nor did any member indicate any intention to seek government clearance for playing in Pakistan” said the PCB in a statement that came after the completion of the ACC meeting.

According to PCB, it was thought that nations were obtaining permission from their governments to participate in the tournament in Pakistan.

The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023: ACC

“Sri Lanka has recently visited Pakistan in 2017 and 2019, while Bangladesh has toured Pakistan in 2020. In the 2023-2027 Future Tours Programme (FTP), which has been agreed upon and announced by all ICC Members, Afghanistan Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have confirmed their tours to Pakistan,” PCB added.

The PCB’s intention is clear; whichever choice is made, it will be in Pakistan’s best interests. “Whatever the stance is, it will be according to the interests of Pakistan,” said Sethi (PCB president) in January.

The Cricket Board of Pakistan has no problem taking part in an event where the PCB serves as the host nation in a separate country. Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah are thought of as probable locations if PCB chooses to host the event.

“The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensuring the success of the tournament. An update on the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board meeting to be held in March 2023,” ACC stated after the completion of the meeting.

Here’s how Twitter reacted on this incident: