'India Afraid to Play & Lose to Pakistan?': Sethi Fires at ACC for Conducting Asia Cup's Last Leg in Colombo

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi has been repeatedly questioning the conduct of Asia Cup 2023 as the Sri Lanka leg of the tournament continues to get affected by rain. The continental event is being played as per the ‘hybrid module’ proposed by the PCB according to which 4 out of 13 games will be played in Pakistan and the rest 9 in the island nation. The method was implemented after BCCI denied sending Team India to Pakistan, citing diplomatic reasons. Hence, India had to set their base in Sri Lanka for the entire tourney.

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But the decision seems to be spoiling the essence of the continental championship with the weather playing a decisive role in every encounter. Several media reports stated that the Asia Cricket Council (ACC), led by Jay Shah, is likely to shift the venues of Super Four matches from Colombo to Hambantota to avoid any rain interruption. But on Tuesday, the ACC informed the stakeholders stating that the tournament will go on as initially scheduled – all games to be played in Colombo.

The sudden change in decision irked Sethi who lashed out at the Shah-led ACC, asking if India is afraid of losing to Pakistan. The former PCB chief also highlighted the difference in weather forecast of Colombo and Hambantota which clearly shows the dominance of rain in the capital city of Sri Lanka in the coming week.

“BCCI/ACC informed PCB today that they had decided to shift next India-Pak match from Colombo to Hambantota because of rain forecasts. Within one hour they changed their mind and announced Colombo as the venue. What’s going on? Is India afraid to play and lose to Pakistan ? Look at the rain forecast,” wrote Sethi.

Earlier on Tuesday, ACC president Jay Shah issued a comprehensive statement on venue selection for the ongoing Asia Cup and why the UAE wasn’t an ideal choice. He mentioned that none of the stakeholders were willing to play the entire tournament in Pakistan due to the security and economic situation 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 said in a statement.

“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,” it added.

Shah further explained the concerns about playing ODI matches in UAE in the month of September, adding that there was an “increased risk of injuries” and no ACC member was willing to take that chance before the 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,” explained Shah.