IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal has announced that the Indian cricket team will not be travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. The Asia Cup games between India and Pakistan will be held in Sri Lanka. Dhumal is in Durban for the ICC Chief Executives Meet (CEC). The BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB representative head Zaka Ashraf met ahead of the ICC Board meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Dhumal told PTI the Asia Cup schedule was finalised and is on course. Four games of the league stage will be held in Pakistan, followed by nine games in Sri Lanka. The games in Sri Lanka include both matches between India and Pakistan. In case India and Pakistan end up facing each other in the final, then that match would be played in Sri Lanka as well.
Dhumal also denied reports from Pakistan which said India will travel to the country. He said that there was never a discussion regarding India going to Pakistan. “Neither India is travelling to Pakistan nor our secretary will be travelling contrary to reports that have surfaced. Only the schedule was finalised,” he said.
Pakistan’s only home match on their land will be against Nepal. The other matches which will take place in Pakistan are Afghanistan versus Bangladesh, Bangladesh versus Sri Lanks and Sri Lanka versus Afghanistan.
Earlier, Pakistan’s sports minister Ehsan Mazari said that if India refuses to go to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, then Pakistan would also ask for a neutral ground in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023, which will be held in India.
As per ICC’s World Cup 2023 schedule, India and Pakistan will be facing each other for the first time in the tournament on October 15 in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.