Any team will be apprehensive of coming to Pakistan: Mohammad Asif

Former Pakistan cricketer, Mohammad Asif, has expressed his doubts about the feasibility of the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup.

Asif stated that the political situation in Pakistan would likely discourage teams from visiting the country. He suggested that alternative venues such as Sri Lanka or Dubai might be considered for hosting the tournament.

“I don’t think it will happen. Because the political situation is not great. Any team will be a little apprehensive of coming. So, I think the Asia Cup will be shifted to Sri Lanka or Dubai,” Asif said in Tahir ‘The 12th Man’ YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s participation in Asia Cup is also in doubt, after Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary and ACC chairman, has made it clear to the other countries that they will not accept Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) suggested "hybrid model." Shah recently discussed this with the heads of member nations and proposed that the tournament should take place at a single venue, specifically Sri Lanka.

PCB had proposed a hybrid model, under which the initial four matches of the group stage in the primary phase of the tournament shall be played in Pakistan. Moreover, the next phase, including matches of India and finals, is to be played at a neutral venue. In that scenario, Pakistan will play their group stage match against Nepal on home ground. Likewise, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will also be playing their pool matches in Pakistan. The PCB had designated Dubai as a favored neutral location within a hybrid framework.

According to a report in Telegraph India, Pakistan will be informed during the next executive board meeting of the ACC that all other participating nations have agreed to play in Sri Lanka.

The report further added that the PCB, as the designated hosts, will have to comply and play in Sri Lanka or withdraw. In that case, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will be the four teams participating, with the inclusion of a fifth team yet to be decided.