Our Bureau
New Delhi
The relations between India and Pakistan have gone downhill after the recent hostilities between two nations. A match between India and Pakistan is the biggest eye-catcher of any international tournament as both teams have stopped playing bilateral series since 2012. After the recent tensions between the two neighbours. India has now taken another step and has cleared its stance that it won’t play in a tournament which is headed by a Pakistani executive.
The Asian Cricket Council which deals with the cricketing affairs pertaining to Asia cup, is headed by the Head of Pakistan’s Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi. They were all set to organise the Asia Cup 2025 in India but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to partake in the tournament. The step is being taken to isolate Pakistan’s cricket board.
The current political situation between the two nuclear powered nations has drawn the curtains completely on any possibility of a match between two nations. India was all set to host the Asia Cup this year but the likelihood of that is very rare at this point of time. With India all set to back out of hosting the Asia Cup, the Asian Cricket Council will bear the brunt of finances.
As the reports suggest a BCCI official gave a statement saying, “The Indian team can’t play in a tournament that is organised by the ACC, whose chief is a Pakistani minister. That’s the sentiment of the nation. We have verbally communicated to ACC about our withdrawal from the upcoming Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and our future participation in their events too is on hold. We are in constant touch with the Indian government.”
With the major sponsors for the tournament being from India, BCCI has no option but to back out of the tournament considering the sentiments of the nation regarding Pakistan after the Pahalgam attacks. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) bought the media rights for the Asia Cup for a fee of 170 million US dollars but if India backs out of the tournament and Asia cup does not happen, the deal would be reworked.
