Chairman of PCB to Push Pakistan WC Matches At Neutral Venues In ICC Meeting
Zaka Ashraf, who is the chairman of the Pakistan cricket board, will push for the country's ODI World Cup matches at neutral venues at the ICC meeting in Durban this week, Ehsan Mazari, who is the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Sports, has said. "Zaka Ashraf will bring up the issue of why Pakistan's matches in the World Cup can't be played at neutral venues when the Indian team can't travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup."
The BCCI has refused to send their team to Pakistan in order to play their Asia Cup matches because of the geopolitical tensions, and after months of speculation around the continental tournament, the Asian Cricket Council announced that the event will be staged in a hybrid model with four games in Pakistan and nine in Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 17.
Ashraf and the PCB chief operating officer, Salman Taseer, are in Durban to attend the ICC meetings, where they are expected to discuss India's refusal to send its team to Pakistan citing security reasons.
Mazari also claimed that, like him, some other members of the special committee formed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to recommend whether the national team should travel to India for the World Cup also felt in their personal capacities that it was time Pakistan took a strong stance on India refusing to tour the country.
Mazari said that "I want our World Cup matches at neutral venues if India doesn't want to send its team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. If they have security problems in Pakistan, according to the Indian board, then we can also question the security situation in India."