Cricket: India will not travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup next year

Indian cricket board’s secretary says tournament, scheduled to be held in Pakistan, will take place at neutral venue.

The Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president has said.

Jay Shah, who is also secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said on Tuesday that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue.

“The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah told the media after a BCCI annual general meeting. “It’s the government which decides over the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue.

“I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue.”

There has been no official announcement from the ACC.

Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral series since 2012. Pakistan last visited India in 2016 for the T20 World Cup while India’s last tour of Pakistan was for the Asia Cup in 2008.

The last time they faced off in a Test series was 2007.

Pakistan and India last played each other in this year’s Asia Cup that took place in the United Arab Emirates.

The teams are also set to play their T20 World Cup opener in Melbourne on October 23.

Matches between the two ignite great fervour but have also defused military tensions between the two nations, which have fought four wars since independence from British rule in 1947.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet responded to Shah’s comments.