Criticising the ACC, Sethi had said that his suggestion to play in the UAE was turned down and “poor excuses” were made to accommodate Sri Lanka as a co-host.
Shah, in a statement to the media, on Tuesday said that all the stakeholders, “were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan due to concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country.”
“All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan. This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country,” Shah stated.
Ironically Shah’s statement on the teams being initially hesitant to play the Asia Cup in Pakistan comes at a time when his fellow office-bearers -president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajiv Shukla – are enjoying a rare visit to the country to watch a couple of Asia Cup matches. Except India, all the other participating teams involved in the Asia Cup are playing in Pakistan. Since the beginning of 2022, Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand have toured there too.
Shah made it clear that the 2023 Asia Cup wasn’t played in the UAE “following feedback from their (the participating sides’) respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September.” He stressed that “such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important World Cup.”
“The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It’s important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format. In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup,” Shah stated.
The ACC president went on to say: “The decision-making process regarding the Asia Cup 2023 format and venue was guided by a sincere desire to prioritize the well-being of the players, as well as the overarching interests of the sport. Ultimately, the goal was to strike a balance that would allow for a competitive and successful tournament while ensuring the health and readiness of the participating teams for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.”
“In my capacity as ACC president, I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I had accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the PCB in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” Shah said.
The BCCI secretary also pointed out that during the last few months, the PCB leadership has undergone several changes, which “resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations.”
In June, current PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had taken over from Sethi, who replaced former Pakistan opener Ramiz Raza in the post in December last year. “In my capacity as ACC President, I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I had accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” Shah said.
