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"I Can't Do Much": Incoming Pakistan Board Chief Softens Asia Cup Stance

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A fresh Asia Cup 2023 controversy seemed to have erupted on Wednesday after the incoming Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf slammed the 'hybrid model', suggesting Pakistan should be hosting the entire tournament themselves.

The current setup sees Pakistan and Sri Lanka both hosting the continental tournament, but Ashraf wasn't happy seeing the islanders getting the better chunk of games.

As his comments became a huge topic of debate among cricket fans on social media, Ashraf softened his stance, suggesting now that the decision has been made, he "can't do anything about it". "In my personal opinion, this whole hybrid model isn't beneficial for Pakistan and I didn't like it," Ashraf was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "Being a host, Pakistan should have negotiated better to make sure that the entire tournament should have played in Pakistan.

Sri Lanka taking the bigger lot of games, leaving Pakistan with only four games, isn't in the best interest of our country. Ashraf confirmed that he would not attempt to disrupt the existing agreement that has already been reached between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Asian Cricket Council. "But I see the decision has been made, so we have to go with it.

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The Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) move to include Sri Lanka as the co-host of Asia cup definitely didn't go down well with Pakistan, which was set to host the entire event alone. It is India that refused to play its Asia Cup matches in Pakistan owing to geopolitical tensions, and that saw the ACC deciding that the event will be staged in a hybrid model with four games in Pakistan and nine in Sri Lanka. Of late, sports minister of Pakistan Ehsaan Mazari suggested that Babar Azam-led side would not travel to India for the World Cup if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) insists on playing Asia Cup at a neutral venue.
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The former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Khalid Mahmood has hit out at the government's decision to form a high-level committee to decide on the national cricket team's participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Mahmood, in whose tenure Pakistan made a full tour of India in 1999 and who himself visited the neighbouring country in 1989 as manager of the junior team, said it made no sense to form this committee. "The interesting thing is that no representative of the main stakeholder, the Pakistan Cricket Board is on the committee," Mahmood said in an interview.
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The schedule for 2023 ODI World Cup has already been announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this week. The mega event is set to kick off with a game between defending champions England and last-edition finalists New Zealand -- on October 05 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, the Indian team will begin its campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8. The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Paksitan is scheduled to take place on the 15th of October in Ahmedabad.
Though the schedule for the Asia Cup is yet to be announced, the structure of the tournament is already out, with the event set to take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a 'hybrid' format. The Indian cricket team, who last won the tournament in 2018, would be raring to add to their tally this time around. But, with there remaining big question marks over the availability of certain players, the task for Rohit Sharma and Co. would not be the easiest. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shreyas Iyer are all on the sidelines, nursing their injuries.

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