The President and CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC) is currently in Lahore to seek assurances that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not insist on implementing the hybrid model for its matches in this year’s ODI World Cup in India. Sources confirmed that ICC President Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice have arrived in Lahore specifically to seek assurances to ensure Pakistan’s participation in the ODI World Cup to be held in October-November.
PCB chief Najam Sethi has made it clear that if the Indian team does not tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup, then their team will also not go to India for the ODI World Cup. Only after this the top officials of ICC have come on Pakistan tour.
Sources said, “The ICC and the ODI World Cup host Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) are worried about Najam Sethi’s hybrid model.” “Though Sethi has suggested the hybrid model for the Asia Cup to be held before the ODI World Cup, the officials are concerned that if this model is accepted for the regional competition, the PCB will be in trouble with Pakistan,” he said. On the question of playing in India, can ask ICC to implement this model in ODI World Cup as well.
Sethi has already indicated that if the Pakistan government does not allow the team to be sent to India due to security reasons, then the PCB will ask the ICC to conduct Pakistan’s matches at neutral venues. “It is natural that ICC and BCCI do not want such a situation as it will affect the India-Pakistan match and even the success of the tournament,” sources said.
Another source said that this is the reason why BCCI secretary Jay Shah is not accepting the hybrid model for the Asia Cup under which three or four matches will be held in Pakistan and the rest in UAE or Sri Lanka.
Pakistan is the host of the Asia Cup and Sethi has been reiterating that his team will not participate in the competition if the tournament is held at a neutral venue instead of Pakistan. The sources also indicated that if Pakistan does not host some matches of the Asia Cup, it will have an adverse effect on the World Cup as well.
He said, ‘ICC office bearers are trying to act as a bridge between PCB and BCCI and resolve the pending issues related to Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.’
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