The Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) is displeased with Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), for revealing the schedule of the Asia Cup 2023 on social media before the official ceremony in Lahore.
The PCB had organized an event to announce the schedule and unveil the trophy on July 19 in Lahore. However, Shah announced the schedule on social media half an hour before the event started. This action by Shah spoiled the PCB’s ceremony as the schedule was already public.
The PCB had an agreement with the ACC to release the schedule five minutes after the ceremony began. But Shah’s announcement created a shock as it happened half an hour before the event started. The PCB expressed its dissatisfaction to the ACC, who claimed it was a misunderstanding due to the time difference between India and Pakistan.
One source speculated that Shah may have settled scores for the unprofessional manner in which PCB chairman Ashraf and sports minister Ahsan Mazari had handled a meeting between Shah and Ashraf in Durban during the ICC annual meeting. It is suspected that Shah’s announcement was a form of retaliation.
The Asia Cup is set to start on August 30 in Multan, with Pakistan playing Nepal in the opening match. The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will take place in Kandy on September 2. Pakistan will host four out of the 13 matches, including the first Super 4s fixture, while the remaining nine matches, including the final, will be played in Sri Lanka.