BCCI replies to PCB chief Najam Sethi's 'How disappointing!' dig at Asia Cup in Sri Lanka

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ALSO READ: India vs. Pakistan at Asia Cup 2023: When will the archrivals play against each other next? Soon! “How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. But this was forecast.

As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai, they said. But it was as hot as when the Asia Cup was played there last time in Sep 2022 or when the IPL was played there in April 2014 and Sep 2020.

Politics over sport. Unforgivable!" Sethi had written. As the post had since gone viral on social media, ACC president Jay Shah issued an official statement on Thursday explaining the reasoning behind the refusal to host the tournament in the UAE.

He attributed the body's decision to host Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka to teams' reluctance to play ODIs in the UAE heat. “The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It's important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format," Shah said, as quoted by PTI.

Adding more, Shah said, "In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup. "All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan.