Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, has said that Pakistan will boycott the ICC World Cup 2023 if India refuses to visit Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup.
“Who will watch the World Cup in India without Pakistan?” Raja. “We are very clear, if they don’t come to play in the Asia Cup here, we won’t go there for the World Cup,” the PCB chief added.
Earlier, this year in October, Jay Shah, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president who is also secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year.
“The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah told the media after a BCCI annual general meeting. “It’s the government which decides the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue.”
“I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, the Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue,” he said.
Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, which is slated for October and November 2023, Pakistan will host the 50-over Asia Cup. India last travelled to Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup .
