The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly unhappy with the loss of gate money it has suffered for the Asia Cup 2023 matches being held in Sri Lanka. As per reports, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has shot a letter to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) demanding compensation for the loss.
Ashraf is also disappointed at the scheduling of matches in Sri Lanka after a couple of matches in the group stage including India vs Pakistan were heavily impacted by inclement weather.
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He also alleges that the decision to not change venue from Colombo to Hambantota was taken without taking other ACC members into confidence.
As per the letter, a meeting between ACC members was held after India’s win over Nepal in Pallekele earlier this week.
“In the meeting it was agreed that since the forecast is that Hambantota would remain dry the matches in Colombo should be moved there,” Ashraf has written as per news agency PTI.
The report further claims that decision to shift the remainder of the tournament from Colombo to Hambantota was taken on September 5 and a curator was also dispatched to prepare pitches.
As per the letter, the PCB claims it received a letter from ACC that a formal announcement regarding the shift in venue will be made but after some time, they were told to ignore the mail.
Eventually, it was decided the fixtures will be held as per the original schedule in Kandy and Colombo.
India’s Asia Cup opener in Pallekele last week ended in a no result due to rain. Their second game was curtailed due to rain as well.
The ongoing Asia Cup, originally to be held entirely in Pakistan, is being held across Pakistan and Sri Lanka after BCCI said it cannot send its team across the border citing denial of permission from the Indian government.
A hybrid model was agreed to eventually with majority of the matches being held in Sri Lanka.
ACC president Jay Shah had earlier defended the scheduling of the tournament.
“All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadium 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,” he added.
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