Ramiz Raja, the recently ousted former president of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has reopened the discussion of where to hold the 2023 Asia Cup. The main Asian cricket tournament is slated to take place in Pakistan in 2023, but there are concerns about that because a few months ago BCCI secretary Jay Shah made it clear that India wouldn’t travel there for the tournament and that it would be shifted somewhere. Raja stated at the time that Pakistan would not visit India for the ODI World Cup if India refused to visit Pakistan after being offended by Shah’s remarks.
He has now reopened the discussion on the location of the Asia Cup by bringing up earlier instances in which teams had refused to visit Pakistan owing to security concerns and what transpired as a result.
In addition, he challenged the new management to exercise some leadership instead of caving into India’s demands given their prominent position in international cricket.
The former cricketer turned administrator said on Duniya News, “One positive from my stint as a chairman was that I provided leadership. If you remember, New Zealand had left, and we told them that what you did was unfair. The England team refused to come; we spoke with them, following which they played 7 T20Is instead of 5, two extra. The ECB staff visited Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium; they came to my office and apologized. Similarly, Australia also visited.”
He added, “What is leadership? When Asian Cricket Council has asked Pakistan to host a tournament and then India says they won’t travel to Pakistan and shift the tournament to a neutral venue, what should be the response?
“Kya hum sab servant range India k, kyunki woh ek world power hain Apne hisab use. Kya hum har cheez unki mante Jayenge?” (Are we servants of India just because they are a world power in cricket? Should we listen to everything they say?)
According to him, the Pakistani squad is now on a winning streak, and both its players and supporters should be treated with respect.
“We will think, will we get isolated? We’ll ask permission from the government, then talks will move further. These are not signs of good leadership. The Pakistan cricket team is enjoying a great run; you have a good fan following; you have superstars, so please give your team and fans the respect they deserve. There should be a decision on the matter, as the tournament was given to Pakistan, so how can it be shifted to a neutral venue without consulting us or the ACC members.”
