The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has extended an invitation to Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to attend the opening match of the 2023 Asia Cup.
The tournament is set to commence on August 30th in Pakistan. Alongside Jay Shah, other heads of cricketing bodies from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) have also been invited to the match.
The 2023 Asia Cup is taking place amid a hybrid model due to political tensions between India and Pakistan. Originally, Pakistan was designated as the primary host, but due to India’s decision not to send its team to Pakistan, Sri Lanka was chosen as an alternate location.
Lahore and Multan in Pakistan will host four matches, while the remainder of the tournament will be held in Sri Lanka.
Jay Shah’s invitation stems from a meeting between PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and Jay Shah during an ICC meeting in Durban. While the invitation has been sent, there is a sense that it was extended more in hope than with the expectation that it would be accepted.
A PCB source indicated that the invitation was conveyed after the initial verbal exchange.
However, there was some confusion surrounding Jay Shah’s response to the invitation. Pakistani media initially reported that Shah had accepted the invitation, but he later denied this, causing a degree of embarrassment for the PCB.
The 2023 Asia Cup will span from August 30 to September 17 and will be played across four venues. In Pakistan, Multan and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host matches, including group-stage and knockout games.
Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, matches will take place at Pallekele and Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, with India’s opening match against Pakistan scheduled for September 2nd at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The Super Four matches will be held in Colombo between September 9 and 14, culminating in the final match on September 17.
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