Former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has slammed current head of the Board, Najam Sethi, on the issue of Asia Cup 2023 hosting country.
Sethi is trying to solve the Asia Cup hosting issue amicably with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Jay Shah, President of ACC and also Secretary of BCCI, has been accused of being biased and creating hurdles for Pakistan’s hosting rights of Asia Cup.
“England could be a possibility as a venue for the Asia Cup,” Sethi said in an interview with BBC.
Ramiz Raja expressed anger on the statement, raising questions about the mental health of the PCB chairman. “The whole purpose of Asia Cup right before the World Cup is to let the teams get used to Asian conditions.
I was shocked to hear the Chairman PCB saying it would be great to see the Asia Cup being played at Lord’s. Is he mentally stable or not?” Raja questioned.
Raja also said that it makes him angry when the chairman is saying that Pakistan Super League (PSL 9) will be conducted in UAE because of taxation issues in Pakistan.
“On one side you are saying Pakistan is safe for cricket regarding Asia Cup and on the other hand you are saying PSL 9 will be conducted in UAE, what type of perspective are you trying to give, are you out of your mind,” Ramiz Raja asked.
Former cricketer Salman Butt also took a dig on Sethi’s statement of hosting Asia Cup in England:
“A neutral venue like this [England] is not viable for Asia Cup, it will not make sense as it will mean that there is not a single venue in Asia where it could be held.”
“You can include England in it and make it Euro-Asia Cup. You can also give this suggestion. In the past, Austral-Asia Cup used to take place in which Australia participated.
You can also include Ireland and Netherlands in it. It would be a World Cup-like event, as it will have six teams from Asia and four countries from Europe, so it will be a ten-team tournament. It will be a dress rehearsal for World Cup,” the former Pakistan opener said.
He also added, “You can come up with as many ideas as possible but you also have to see what is practically possible.”
