Pakistan Threatens World Cup Pullout After Jay Shah Announces Asia Cup At 'Neutral Venue': Report

The Indian and Pakistan cricket boards put themselves on a collision course on Tuesday after BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the 2023 Asia Cup will be played at a neutral venue, prompting the neighbours to threaten a boycott of next year's ODI World Cup. The hosting rights of the 2023 edition of the 50-over Asia Cup has been awarded to Pakistan by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as a pre-cursor to the marquee World Cup in India. Incidentally, Shah is the president of the Asian Cricket Council.

The matter of India playing the Asia Cup in Pakistan was stated in the notes circulated to the BCCI members before Tuesday's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai.

"We have decided to play at a neutral venue," Shah was quoted as saying by multiple cricket websites after the conclusion of the AGM.

One of the reasons cited for not playing in Pakistan was that there has been precedence in the past of the continental event being shifted at a neutral venue.

India hasn't travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and after the Mumbai terrorist attack on November 26 that year, the scheduled bilateral series in early 2009 was cancelled.

The other reason cited was the Sri Lankan team bus being attacked by terrorists in Lahore, after which no international team visited the country for more than a decade due to security reasons.

Pakistan did travel to India for a short six-match white-ball series in 2012, but in the last 10 years, there hasn't been any bilateral cricket. The two teams have only played each other at various ICC and ACC events.

The PCB is irked as international cricket has resumed in the country with all top nations like England, Australia, West Indies travelling there to play Tests and white-ball rubbers.

Sources close to