PCB should consent to the tournament being moved to Sri Lanka and retain its hosting rights.
There has been a lot of talk about the PCB wanting to host the Asia Cup on Pakistan soil and even saying they will not participate in the World Cup if India doesn’t travel.
From what we are seeing happen on ground in the country after Imran Khan’s arrest, no team, leave alone India, will want to travel to Pakistan to play sport. Buildings are being burnt, visuals are viral on social media and there is unrest all over. How does the PCB expect others to travel? How can any other team put their players security at risk?
Not going into the issue of India Pak tension, it is impossible to play an international tournament in Pakistan against the background of what is going on. For its own sake the PCB should just retain the hosting rights of the tournament and agree to staging it in either Sri Lanka or elsewhere. That way it will make money and also remain hosts of the competition. If it tries to be obstinate, as was being reported, it won’t have any support left in the coming days for 2 reasons- the world is watching what all is going on and will not feel safe to travel. Second, the reality is Pakistan isn’t in a position at the moment with elections forthcoming to give assurances of security. Buildings burning and people walking around with arms can’t be the best visuals to attract visitors to the country.
For the sake of the PCB and Pakistan cricketers who are in fantastic form and made it to the number 1 position in the rankings, a call should be taken in the interest of the sport. And that is to move the Asia Cup away to a safer venue. Not only will that help salvage the tournament, it will also mean PCB can continue to play hosts and earn their share of revenue.
The truth is Pakistan isn’t in shape to host the tournament. The faster the PCB realises the truth the better. Even if the Asian Cricket Council wanted to, it couldn’t have gone ahead under current circumstances. While what’s happening is most unfortunate and sad, it also means the volatility makes international sport impossible.
If the PCB takes a rational call in view of what’s brewing, it should also clear the deck for it to participate in the World Cup in India and clear all uncertainty over the tournament.