The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023 last week after a lot of controversy regarding Pakistan hosting the tournament. The ACC President Jay Shah announced the schedule on July 19, Wednesday on Twitter. However, it has been reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board has expressed their dissatisfaction and objected to the announcement that came a few minutes before an official ceremony that was hosted in Lahore.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had organised an event to announce the Asia Cup schedule along with unveiling the trophy on July 19. According to a report by the PTI, a source said that the Pakistan board had an agreement with ACC that they would release the schedule at the event around 7:15 pm, but Shah didn’t follow the agreement and announced the schedule half an hour before the time.
The source told PTI, "The PCB had a clear understanding with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) (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.”
"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.”
Not only this, but another source said that Shah seemingly settled scores for the unprofessional manners in which the PCB and Pakistan Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari handled the meeting between Shah and Ashraf during the annual ICC 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,” PTI quoted the source.
Notably, the Asia Cup will begin on August 31 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
