Fast bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar has suggested a new name for the venue of the upcoming Asia Cup which as of now is slated to be hosted by Pakistan in September this year.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, the legendary pacer suggested the event be held in Sri Lanka if the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) seriously thinks about shifting the venue as per India’s demand.
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The tug-of-war between the BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board continues after the Indian board refused to send its team across the border owing to security concerns.
In response to BCCI’s denial, the PCB threatened the Pakistan won’t travel to India for the ODI World Cup in retaliation.
While the final call is yet to be taken, likely by March end, Akhtar, who is currently involved with the Legends League Cricket, revealed his thoughts on the complicated matter.
Akhtar stated that either the hosting rights for the Asia Cup 2023 should remain with Pakistan or the event be shifted to Sri Lanka, who are the reigning champions.
In addition, the former speedster wished to see India and Pakistan square off in the Asia Cup final as well as the World Cup final.
“I want the 2023 Asia Cup to be held in Pakistan, if not Pakistan then it should be in Sri Lanka. I want to see India and Pakistan play the final in Asia Cup and World Cup. Nothing else should happen in world cricket just India and Pakistan finals,” Akhtar told ANI.
PCB chairman Najam Sethi recently said that he was ready to address the issue in the upcoming ACC and ICC meetings, where they will reveal all the possible options in an effort to negotiate with India. He also made it clear that India won’t face any security-related problems.
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“We have kept all options open for us and have to take a clear position when I go to the ACC and ICC meetings. When all teams are coming to Pakistan and have no issues with security. Then why is India worried about security? In the same way, we can also have security concerns over sending our team to India for the World Cup,” Sethi had said during an interaction with the media.
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