LAHORE: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary, Jay Shah, has dismissed speculations that he will be visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.
Shah clarified that he has not agreed to any such visit and will not be making the trip, calling it a result of miscommunication or deliberate mischief.
“I have not agreed to anything. This is just plain miscommunication. Probably done deliberately or mischievously. I’ll not be making any visit,” Shah told an Indian media outlet.
Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) interim management committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf met Jay Shah on the sidelines of an International Cricket Council meeting in Durban, South Africa.
According to media reports, Ashraf extended an invitation to Shah to watch Asia Cup matches in Pakistan, which the BCCI secretary reportedly accepted.
“Pakistani people know how to welcome and take care of their guests. This is a good start. We will have more such meetings in future,” Ashraf reportedly said.
Ashraf said that he invited Shah to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup and was in turn invited to India by the latter for the World Cup.
Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman, Arun Dhumal, also clarified that while the meeting did take place, it solely focused on finalizing the tournament’s schedule and did not involve discussions about India’s visit to Pakistan.
“There was no such discussion held. Neither India is traveling to Pakistan nor our secretary will be traveling contrary to reports that have surfaced. Only the schedule was finalized,” he added.
Ashraf and Shah discussed the schedule of the Asia Cup and approved the hybrid model. The schedule is also expected to be released on Friday.
Asia Cup is scheduled to take place from August 31 to September 17 with four matches happening in Sri Lanka.
