Sethi said: “My government could say to me: ‘The security situation in India vis-a-vis Pakistan is not good, you can’t go there.’ So my solution is to apply the hybrid model there, too – it could be Bangladesh next door or Sri Lanka. Moving their World Cup match out of India would cause ructions in the country but Pakistan, also hosting the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, do not want to lose face. They have continued to meet in global tournaments, however, with television audiences estimated to range between 300 million and 500m viewers.Īs such, they represent a huge source of revenue for the ICC and the world game, central to the new £2.5bn broadcast deal that runs from 2024 to 2027. Tense political relations between the two countries have led to a pause in bilateral cricket in recent times, with Pakistan’s brief white-ball tour of India in 2012-13 their last such encounter. If India refuses to play in Pakistan then my government is going to tell me: ‘You can’t play in India.’ Then what do I do?” “India is creating the problem and compelling us to take a position we do not want to take.

If India do not agree to Pakistan’s Asia Cup plan, the World Cup is at risk of chaos. India players celebrate beating Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali. They can’t cite security – we have had England, Australia and New Zealand all tour in the last 18 months. India have said they cannot play in Pakistan. By logic all matches should be played in Pakistan. “I am hoping it won’t be rejected or the consequences won’t be good for all of us,” Sethi told the Observer regarding the hybrid model for the Asia Cup.

If so Pakistan would have to play all nine World Cup group matches and any knockout appearances in the UAE, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, forcing the International Cricket Council to rip up a fixture list that – incredibly for a global tournament so close to its proposed start date – is still to be published. Equally, his government may insist on the same “hybrid” arrangements for Pakistan during India’s tournament. Najam Sethi, chair of the PCB, says this offer needs to be accepted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India or the Asia Cup will be called off.

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