Zaka Ashraf, the likely successor to Najam Sethi as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has rejected Sethi’s widely publicized “hybrid model” for the upcoming Asia Cup.
The much-publicized “hybrid model” for the upcoming Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in September, has been rejected by Zaka Ashraf, the likely next chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The hybrid model (for the Asia Cup) was something I had already rejected in the past because I did not agree with it. At a press conference held on Wednesday in the Pakistani capital, Ashraf said, “The Asian Cricket Council board had decided that it should be held in Pakistan, so we should host it.
Ashraf’s remarks might also jeopardize Pakistan’s World Cup participation, and it’s anticipated that the BCCI will take a hard line as well. If they go against what the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) members had decided, there won’t be any room for compromise.
If Ashraf doesn’t modify his position, the Asia Cup may be played as a five-nation competition without Pakistan because the ACC executive body has approved the hybrid model.
The ACC has agreed to the Asia Cup model, so there won’t be any changes. A member of the ACC board told PTI that Ashraf was free to say whatever he wanted.
Ashraf is one of two candidates for the PCB chairman’s position that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif personally selected. As the patron-in-chief of the board and the person who has the final say in appointment, Sharif is the person who makes all hiring decisions.
The appointment of Ashraf is currently only a formality. The ACC, led by BCCI chief Jay Shah, accepted the hybrid model after India made it clear that it won’t visit Pakistan because of the current geopolitical situation.
The host nation of Pakistan will play their group league match against Nepal, and three other games involving Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will also take place in Lahore. It was decided that Pakistan will host four games. However, following Sethi’s resignation announcement on Twitter, events have changed significantly over the past 48 hours.
“I don’t want to cause Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif any trouble. Such unpredictability and instability are bad for PCB. I am not a candidate for the PCB Chairmanship given the current situation. Good luck to everyone involved, Sethi had tweeted.” The previous chairman of the PCB was Ashraf, a banker by trade.
Ashraf stated during his media appearance that he dislikes the idea of meaningless competitions taking place in his nation when they have the hosting rights.
“Outside of Pakistan, all the major matches are taking place. Pakistan will host games against (teams like) Nepal and Bhutan, which is unfair to Pakistan. I lack access to the information, so I am unaware of any prior decisions made by the board. “
“I will check, and whatever is doable in the quickest time, will do that for the betterment of Pakistan,” he said. The World Cup issue still needs to be resolved, according to Ashraf, which may mean that the schedule release will be postponed further.”
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