Najam Sethi: “Play us in Pakistan and we’ll play you in India.”
Pakistan will only play in the upcoming World Cup in India if the country’s cricket board is given a promise that the hosts of the 50-over tournament will come to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
🎥 Celebrate @iMRizwanPak's birthday with a compilation of his international centuries and brilliance behind the stumps 💫
Full video 👉 https://t.co/RRtQH1wspu pic.twitter.com/JckGpVASMU
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 1, 2023
The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) chairman Greg Barclay and chief executive Geoff Allardice were at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) offices on Wednesday for the second and final day of their visit. The PCB’s leaders made the request to the ICC’s chairman Greg Barclay and chief executive Geoff Allardice.
Chair of the International Cricket Council, Mr Greg Barclay reviews his two-day visit to Lahore alongside Mr Geoff Allardice, the ICC Chief Executive.
Read more: https://t.co/WzF37dluCt pic.twitter.com/OHuMWTvon1
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 1, 2023
Najam Sethi, who is in charge of the PCB’s interim Management Committee, said recently that it was “very likely” that Pakistan would not play in the World Cup because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would not send its team to Pakistan for the September Asia Cup.
So far, the BCCI has also been against accepting the “hybrid model” that the PCB has suggested for the regional tournament. Under this plan, group matches that don’t involve India would be played in Pakistan before the event moved to a neutral site. Even if the plan is accepted, the PCB will think about holding the World Cup somewhere other than India, and India will have the same choice for the Champions Trophy.
Preparations, adapting to the conditions and getting into the #WTC23 Final groove 🙌
Hear from Paras Mhambrey, T Dilip & Vikram Rathour on #TeamIndia's preps ahead of the all-important clash 👌🏻👌🏻 – By @RajalArora
Full Video 🎥🔽https://t.co/AyJN4GzSRD pic.twitter.com/x5wRxTn99b
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 31, 2023
The Asia Cup, on the other hand, has nothing to do with the ICC, and its top two leaders would rather talk about World Cup problems. So, Sethi and his group asked the ICC officials for a written guarantee that India would take part in the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan was given the right to hold two years ago. Even though Barclay and Allardice’s visit is “scheduled,” it is a high-profile one given the situation. However, both the ICC and the PCB have been quiet so far, and neither has made any public comments.
Play us in Pakistan and we’ll play you in India: https://t.co/nSdv5bZM97
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) May 11, 2023
The PCB and ICC officials also kept talking about the ICC’s expected revenue share plan. Leaked numbers have shown that India would get 38.5% of the organization’s income, while Pakistan would only get 5.75%. Sources say that Pakistan’s problems and the whole situation with the BCCI will be talked about at the next ICC Board meetings. India’s tight grip on the cricket economy around the world, on the other hand, would make it hard for the ICC to listen to PCB’s requests. In this situation, the PCB might think about not playing its World Cup games.
