The Asia Cup is to be held this year. However, there has been a lot of controversy regarding its hosting for some time now. Pakistan got the hosting of this tournament, but Asian Cricket Council President Jay Shah had said in his statement last year that the Indian team will not tour Pakistan. In such a situation, talks are on to hold the tournament at a neutral venue.
However, Pakistan is opposing it and had also offered a hybrid model. Now the statement of former Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed has come to the fore on this whole issue. He has said that the team led by Rohit Sharma should come to his country for the Asia Cup.
Sarfaraz said this
Sarfaraz said, 'We should not even talk about India not coming to Pakistan. We should state our stand that India will have to come and play in Pakistan. The way people of Pakistan have seen Steve Smith, Joe Root, and James Anderson playing in Pakistan, similarly they want to see India vs Pakistan match in Pakistan. Every team is coming to Pakistan. We should not appeal to teams to come and play in Pakistan, it is our right that cricket should come to Pakistan and teams should come and play.
'No one hosts like us'
Sarfaraz said, 'Pakistan players and PCB have fought a lot to bring cricket back to the country. Our security forces, intelligence unit, and army personnel have played a vital role in bringing cricket back to Pakistan. I think India should come to play in Pakistan and every team that comes here should support Pakistan. The way we host teams, there will hardly be any country in the world that can match us.
Sri Lanka may get to host the Asia Cup
Pakistan has suffered a major setback regarding the hosting of the Asia Cup. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Monday decided to shift the Asia Cup out of the country after PCB's proposal to organize the tournament on a 'hybrid model' was rejected by the member nations. It has been said in the report that due to excessive heat in the UAE in September, there will be a fear of injury to the players. In such a situation, Sri Lanka is at the forefront of the race to host the six-nation tournament.
What was the hybrid model?
The PCB had recently introduced a 'hybrid model' for the Asia Cup, wherein Pakistan would play all its matches at home. At the same time, Team India can play its matches in UAE, Dubai, Oman, or Sri Lanka.
(pc amarujala)
