KARACHI/NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi wants BCCI secretary Jay Shah to talk about his country’s Asia Cup hosting rights if he decides to attend the opening ceremony of the international T20 league on Thursday. .
“Najm will use this opportunity to work on relations with ACC members and ensure that the Asia Cup is held in Pakistan in September this year. In fact, Najam is also going as he has been told that there is a strong possibility of BCCI chief Jay Shah also attending.
However, there is no confirmation from the BCCI whether its top boss or any other functionary will attend the opening ceremony.
Also the other big question is if Shah attends the event as ACC President and BCCI Secretary, would he like to entertain the PCB chairman for an informal chat?
Shah, as ACC president, had said last year that the Asia Cup would be shifted out of Pakistan and the then PCB chief Rameez Raja had then retaliated by threatening to pull his country out of the World Cup in India.
Recently, Sethi had taken a sarcastic jibe at Shah after the ACC president released a two-year travel schedule, which the PCB chief alleged was not discussed with his board.
The ACC came out strongly in the defense of its chairman as he issued a press statement clarifying that the PCB had not come back with its preferred recommendation.
The Emirates Cricket Board has invited the heads of all major cricket boards and Sethi will be present on the opening day where he is expected to speak to his other ACC colleagues to garner support for Pakistan to secure its hosting rights for the ODI Asia Cup. can be retained. september.
Sethi believes that the PCB needs to build better relations with the ACC members whose support is necessary to organize the Asia Cup in Pakistan.
“Being a former president of ACC, Najam will assure all the members that Pakistan is completely safe to host the regional event and all the teams including India will have to send their teams,” he added.
The PCB source said there was a feeling in the board that former chairman Rameez had gone overboard with his threats to the ACC and the BCCI and the PCB first needed to ensure that it was capable of hosting the Asia Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“If Shah comes to Dubai, Sethi will be allowed to meet him personally or other BCCI officials and discuss the issue of India sending its team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.”
The source said that Sethi will also visit the ICC headquarters and meet top officials to discuss hosting the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan as well as the World Cup to be held in India this year.
Sethi’s decision to accept the ECB’s invitation is significant as the PCB was bitter with the former during Rameez’s tenure after the former chairman publicly discouraged Pakistani players from participating in the league.
