Zaka Ashraf, Jay Shah
The 2023 Asian Cup begins on August 30 with Pakistan hosting. After much controversy and discussion, it was decided to organize the tournament according to a hybrid model. The first match will be held in Multan on August 30 between Pakistan and Nepal. In addition, a total of three games will be played on Pakistani soil. The remaining games will be played in Sri Lanka. The Indian team will play their first game against Pakistan on September 2nd in Kandy. Information has come to light that the Pakistan Cricket Board has invited BCCI Secretary Jai Shah to visit Pakistan for the opening of this tournament.
Zaka Ashraf invites Jai Shah
According to PTI/Language information, Jay Shah, Secretary of the Cricket Board of India and Chairman of the Asian Cricket Council, has been invited by the PCB to attend the opening match of the Asia Cup. The PCB said it invited several other ACC-affiliated chief executives to the opening game alongside Shah. A PCB source said an invitation had been sent to Shah but the chances of him coming to Pakistan were slim. The source said PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf verbally addressed the invitation to Jay Shah during the ICC meeting in Durban. The Board has now sent out formal invitations.
Will Jai Shah go to Pakistan?
The invitation was sent out by the Pakistan Cricket Board but now the biggest question is: will Jai Shah go to Pakistan? According to Pakistani media, Shah accepted the PCB’s invitation, but this claim was refuted by the BCCI secretary, according to this PTI/Bhasha report. Furthermore, a source familiar with current India-Pakistan relations also said that by inviting Shah, the PCB wanted to show that it doesn’t mix sport with politics.
This will be the 16th edition of the Asian Cup and the 14th edition of the ODI format. The tournament will take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30th to September 17th. Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal take part. You will be divided into two groups of 3 people each. In the league phase, each team plays one game against the other two teams in its respective group. After that, the top two teams from both groups will go into the Super 4. Here each team has to compete against the other three teams and then the final between the top two teams will be held in Colombo on September 17th.