‘Governments only can take decisions,’ says PCB chairman Najam Sethi on Pakistan’s World Cup participation

Lahore [Pakistan], June 17 (ANI): Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi’s statement on Friday has started a new debate over Pakistan’s participation in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as he said that the decision lies in the government’s hands to approve.

“As far as India and Pakistan go, neither the PCB or the BCCI can take decisions. The respective governments only can take decisions,” Sethi said during a press conference on Friday.

When asked about the venue of India-Pakistan, Sethi said, “It’s our government who has to decide, just like when it comes to India, it’s their government that decides when they go to play. There is no point asking us if we will play in Ahmedabad.

When the time comes, first it will be decided whether we are going or not, then the government decides where we will go. Our decision will rest on these two important conditions.”

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Thursday had announced a hybrid model for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, with Pakistan set to host four matches out of 13, while the remaining nine games will be played in Sri Lanka.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal will compete in 13 exciting ODI matches from August 31 to September 17, 2023.

On the hybrid model, PCB Chairman said on Friday, “This hybrid model is a solution to a decade-long problem between India and Pakistan, and to resolve it I have come up with this solution.”

“These four matches could have been more but it was not possible for teams to play here and then go there (Sri Lanka), so therefore it was separated like such that four matches will be played here and rest in Sri Lanka,” he further said.

“What is it that we have accepted, it has been 15 years since they are not coming, it is nothing new. What we got; they were not giving us one match, we had only one option to boycott. But you know the implication for that,” Sethi added.