The PCB had meticulously planned an event in Lahore on Wednesday, July 19, where they intended to announce the Asia Cup scheduleand unveil the trophy.The event was graced by the presence of some formerPakistan cricketers and the PCB’s Cricket Management Committee (CMC) headed by Zaka Ashraf.
But as alleged, just half an hour prior to the scheduled start of the event, Shah took to social media to announce the Asia Cup schedule. This left the PCB feeling dissatisfied and disappointed.
“The PCB had a clear understanding with the Asian Cricket Council (that) it would release the schedule of the Asia Cup five minutes after the ceremony started in Lahore. But unfortunately, half-an-hour before the ceremony started around 7:15 p.m., Jay Shah had announced it on social media,” one reliable source in the board told PTI.
According to the source, Shah’s decision to announce the schedule ahead of the planned ceremony had a negative impact on the PCB’s event. Despite holding the ceremony, its significance was diminished as the schedule had already been disclosed.
The source further revealed that the PCB expressed its dissatisfaction to the ACC regarding the incident. However, the ACC responded by attributing the situation to a misunderstanding.
“The ACC’s explanation was about misunderstandings over the time difference and all that, but the thing is, India is half-an-hour ahead of Pakistan time, so Jay Shah’s announcement was a shock,” the source said.
As per another source within the board, it seems that Shah’s decision to announce the schedule ahead of time might have been driven by a desire to settle scores. The source believes that Shah may have been seeking retribution for what he perceived as unprofessional conduct during a meeting between himself and the PCB chairman, Ashraf, along with the sports minister, Ahsan Mazari. This meeting had taken place in Durban during the ICC annual meeting.
“It appears as if Jay Shah settled scores after the confusion and questions he had to face over whether he had accepted an invitation from Zaka to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup matches, which was widely circulated by Mazari and the PCB in the media,” the source said.
The Asia Cup is set to kick off on August 30 in Multan, featuring the host nation Pakistan facing Nepal in the tournament’s opening match.
(AI image)
One of the highly anticipated encounters, the India versus Pakistan clash, will take place in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on September 2. Both the teams are in Group A.
Pakistan has been granted the opportunity to host four out of the 13 matches in the Asia Cup 2023, which includes the first Super 4s fixture. The remaining nine matches, including the final, will be held in Sri Lanka.
(With agency inputs)
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