Former Chairman of the PCB management committee, Najam Sethi, has used his social media platform to express his dissatisfaction with the choice of venues for the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 matches.

In a series of tweets, Sethi highlighted the adverse weather conditions in Sri Lanka, which have already caused disruptions in the Asia Cup 2023 schedule. He revealed that he had strongly advocated to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for relocating the remaining matches of the Asia Cup to the UAE instead of Sri Lanka.

Sethi shared his efforts, stating, “I pleaded for three approvals in various meetings with Jay Shah and ACC colleagues: 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 rejected and hinted at giving the Asia Cup hosting rights to Sri Lanka if we didn’t budge.”

He continued, “Finally, after we said we might not participate, they scheduled four matches in Pakistan and posted the rest in Sri Lanka. We repeatedly pointed out that the rains forecast in SL would adversely impact match results and diminish crowds at stadiums. We also argued that gate receipts from UAE stadiums would be many times more than those in SL given economic considerations.”

Sethi raised questions about the decision-making process, particularly why these alternative options were rejected and why Sri Lanka was chosen despite the apparent challenges.

“When Mr. Shah didn’t agree, a high-level delegation of the Emirates Cricket Board flew to Mumbai to persuade BCCI to play the Asia Cup in the UAE as in the past when two IPLs and one ACC ODI event were played there in the same weather conditions. BCCI refused to accept their request. Only Mr. Shah can explain why these options were rejected and why Sri Lanka was accommodated against all reason, logic, and rationality. The choice of venues in Sri Lanka was also problematic as we have seen,” he concluded.

The Asia Cup 2023 is undergoing a significant schedule change as the ACC is planning to relocate six Super 4 matches from Colombo to Hambantota due to the anticipation of prolonged rainfall in Colombo during the scheduled match dates.

This decision comes after close monitoring of weather forecasts, which indicated a high likelihood of rain disruptions in Colombo. Notably, one of these relocated matches includes the highly anticipated clash between Pakistan and India, which is now scheduled to take place in Hambantota on September 10.

It’s essential to note that this decision to relocate matches arises amidst criticism directed at the ACC for scheduling Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka during a period known for consistent rainfall.