PCB denies talk of neutral venue for ODI World Cup 2023, confirms hosting India’s matches in Asia Cup at neutral venue under discussion

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said through its chairman Najam Sethi on Friday that there hasn’t been any talk of a neutral venue for the Pakistan team regarding playing its matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup in October in India.

The PCB, however, confirmed that the position taken by Sethi and the management committee over holding India’s matches at a neutral venue for Asia Cup 2023 instead of the host country, Pakistan, are still under discussions.

Through an official statement, which referred to the media talk in Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Sethi said he had briefed the media on the hybrid model he had presented to the ACC officials for the ACC Asia Cup to end the impasse that had been created following the BCCI’s decision to not send its team to Pakistan.

“This proposal – to play India’s matches at a neutral venue and the rest in Pakistan – is under discussions within the ACC. At no stage during Thursday’s media interaction, did I give any reference to the ICC or made any remarks on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is scheduled in October. This matter has not been mooted or discussed at any ICC forum so far,” it said.

PCB also came down heavily on the inaccurate reports doing the rounds in various reports over neutral venue for Pakistan’s games in ODI World Cup 2023. “In this background, the PCB is disappointed that a leading English language newspaper has misquoted, misinterpreted and misrepresented Mr Sethi’s comments and gave the impression that PCB’s hybrid model was presented and discussed at the ICC, which is factually incorrect.”

“At this stage, the PCB is only in discussions with the ACC over the hosting of the ACC Asia Cup and no discussions regarding the World Cup have taken place with the ICC. This is not to say that the hybrid model will not be advocated at the proper ICC forum at the right time.”