The PCB is concerned that Colombo's unpredictable weather, which has caused flooding near the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, might disrupt matches
05 September, 2023
PHOTO: FILE
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) were set to move the six Super 4 matches to Hambantota due to poor weather forecasts in Colombo, with the PCB's approval.
However, a recent development has seen the ACC, led by Jay Shah, reversing this decision, leading to significant discontent from the PCB.
The PCB is concerned that Colombo's unpredictable weather, which has caused flooding near the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, might disrupt matches, including Pakistan-India game on September 10.
The Pakistan Board is also frustrated by the ACC's unilateral decision-making, considering Pakistan's hosting of the event.
The controversy escalated when rain washed out the clash between Pakistan and India match in Pallekele on Saturday, raising concerns about the tournament's viability and ACC coming under criticism for holding matches during rainy season in Sri Lanka.
Regardless, SLC's CEO Ashley de Silva has told ESPNcricinfo that Colombo would indeed host the matches as planned. He clarified that the consideration of relocating the games to Hambantota was merely in the discussion phase and that there had been no official confirmation to any interested parties regarding the potential move.
However, according to ESPNcricinfo’s report, all cricket boards involved (PCB, SLC, BCCI, and BCB) had reached an agreement to relocate the matches to Hambantota. The only remaining challenges were related to logistics, preventing the shift from taking place.
Earlier today, former Chairman PCB management committee, Najam Sethi, had taken to his social media platform "X" to express his displeasure over the selection of venues for the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 matches.
In a series of tweets, Sethi pointed out the adverse weather conditions in Sri Lanka, which had already caused delays in the Asia Cup 2023 schedule.
He disclosed that he had strongly urged the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to play the remaining matches of the Asia Cup in the UAE instead of Sri Lanka, as part of the hybrid model proposed by him during his tenure.
I pleaded for three approvals in various meetings with Jay Shah and ACC colleagues:
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) September 4, 2023
Play all matches in Pakistan as international cricket had fully returned to Pakistan.
When this was shot down
I proposed that we play five matches in Pakistan and eight in the UAE.
This also they…
It's worth noting that Jay Shah, who also serves as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has previously been involved in making late changes to the ICC World Cup 2023 schedule, which had drawn criticism from the cricketing community.
