PCB chief executive Wasim Khan has recently dismissed all the rumours that Pakistan has given up its hosting rights of the T20 Asia Cup. In fact, he has made a shocking comment that if India would not take part in the Asia Cup, then Pakistan would not feature in the 2021 T20 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in India.
After the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) agreed to send their team to Pakistan for a Twenty20 International series and also two ICC World Test Championship matches that too in three phases, as per the reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board has given the hosting rights to Bangladesh of the September tournament.
“It is not the prerogative of the PCB or the ICC to change the host as it was the decision of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC),” Wasim Khan was quoted as saying by The Dawn. “We are currently considering two venues to host the Asia Cup. If India doesn’t come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, we would also refuse participation in the 2021 T20 World Cup there.”
However, Wasim Khan later took a U-turn on his earlier comment that Pakistan will not play the 2021 T20 World cup as this will take place in India if India doesn’t feature in the upcoming Asia Cup 2020 which is going to take place by Pakistan.
“This has been completely taken out of context. Even though we would still want to host the Asia Cup in Pakistan, the Asian Cricket Council needs to decide on what it will do about the matches involving India,” Wasim Khan told Sportstar.
“It’s absolutely incorrect. What I would like to say is that we are concerned about security issues and also there could be issued in attaining visas. But we are confident that things will ease out over the period of time,” he further added, clearing the air that they’re not pulling out from the T20 World Cup – which is an ICC event also. “These are the issues, which the ACC will have to look into and decide accordingly.”
