"Are India Afraid": Ex-PCB Chief Najam Sethi On BCCI, ACC's 'Venue Change U-Turn' For Pakistan Match

After the first Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan was washed out due to rain, another one's fate is hanging in balance with the Super 4 encounter between the two teams, on Sunday, also expected to witness plenty of rain. In the group match, only one of the innings was possible, with Pakistan not getting to face a single delivery after India set them a target of 267 runs to chase. And now, former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi has accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) of deciding to not shift the India vs Pakistan Super-4 game from Colombo to Hambantota.

A potential venue change of the Super-4 games was on the cards, owing to poor weather conditions in certain parts of Sri Lanka. However, Sethi claimed that though the BCCI and ACC contemplated shifting the Indo-Pak match Hambantota from Colombo, they decided against making the change.

Sharing a couple of pictures, showcasing the contrasting weather conditions in the two cities, Sethi highlighted how Colombo has 89% chance of rain on Sunday while Hambantota only has 12%. Yet, the BCCI and ACC decided to keep Colombo as the venue for the high-profile encounter.

"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!," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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.