International Cricket

Zaka Ashraf expresses dissatisfaction with hybrid model Asia Cup

Although the nomination and election have not yet taken place, Ashraf has been assumed to be the next chairman of the PCB. According to the rules, the Prime Minister will nominate two names and a chairman will be elected through voting.

Khan Mutasim Billah LifeEditor

Posted - Jun 22, 2023, 10:59 am 2023-06-22T10:59:48+06:00

Updated - Jun 22, 2023, 1:04 pm 2023-06-22T13:04:38+06:00

The term of Najam Sethi's committee in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ended. Zaka Ashraf, who is likely to become the next PCB chairman, raised his voice against Sethi’s hybrid model Asia Cup.

Although the nomination and election have not yet taken place, Ashraf has been assumed to be the next chairman of the PCB. According to the rules, the Prime Minister will nominate two names and a chairman will be elected through voting. Apart from Ashraf, another nominee is Pakistan Supreme Court lawyer Mustafa Ramday.

The 2023 Asia Cup was originally scheduled to be held entirely in Pakistan. But after the BCCI said India would not travel there, Sethi proposed the hybrid model, which was then approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The model suggests four or five of the tournament's 13 games will be played in Pakistan and the rest, including the India-Pakistan game, will be played in Sri Lanka and the final if India qualify.

During a media interaction on Wednesday ahead of the election, Ashraf said he is not happy with the hybrid model. As a result, discussions on the specifics of the Asia Cup have sparked discussions on whether to resume. But Ashraf also confirmed that since the decision has been taken, they will stick with the decision.

Ashraf said, "In my personal opinion, this whole hybrid model isn't beneficial for Pakistan and I didn't like it. Being a host, Pakistan should have negotiated better to make sure that the entire tournament should have played in Pakistan. Sri Lanka taking the bigger lot of games, leaving Pakistan with only four games, isn't in the best interest of our country.

"But I see the decision has been made, so we have to go with it. I will not block or have any intention not to comply with the decision. I cannot do much about it but to honour the commitment. But going forward, every decision we make will be made for and in the interest of the country."

Ashraf was the chairman of PCB previously. He last served as PCB Chairman in 2014. In other words, 70-year-old Ashraf is returning to PCB again after nine years.