LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to reimburse them for losses suffered due to washed out matches during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 in a letter by chairman of the Management Committee Zaka Ashraf to ACC President Jay Shah,
The PCB also expressed their disappointment over the unilateral decision to hold Asia Cup matches in Colombo, as scheduled, despite the fact that all members had agreed to shift the Super 4 fixtures to Hambantota due to poor weather.
“PCB, as the host of the Asia Cup 2023, is deeply troubled by the lack of consultation and communication that led to this ostensible and unilateral decision. It is still not clear who has taken this decision and, in this regard, a clarification is demanded,” the PCB said in the letter.
“This latest arbitrary decision, not taken with the approval of competent authorities, appears to have been made in haste and irrationally.
“The question again arises as to who is making these decisions unilaterally, without following due process and without consulting the host for the event.
“The Weather Forecast could not have possibly changed within a span of few minutes. What is the point of pandering to spectator's bookings (that too only HA of the stadium capacity) if the game is washed out? The reasoning defies logic.
“Who will be responsible for the loss of gate receipts to the PCB and the adverse impact on the ACC Event's brand value should the matches be rained out in Colombo? The ACC will have to take responsibility for the washed out matches, incremental costs if any, and also reimburse PCB for the losses of gate revenue.”
Earlier, Shah made a mockery of the Asia Cup 2023 after it emerged on Tuesday that the Super 4 matches will be held in Colombo, as originally planned, instead of Hambantota.
On Monday, the ACC had decided to shift all the Super 4 matches of the Asia Cup 2023 to Hambantota as a long rain spell is expected in Colombo for the next 15 days.
The decision was taken after closely looking at the weather forecast and the possibility of rain disturbing the matches. The decision was also conveyed to all members of Shah-led ACC through an email.
However, soon after, the email was retracted with the ACC saying that the matches will be held in Colombo as per schedule.
The PCB is also facing logistical issues due to the sudden change in venue for Asia Cup 2023 matches.
Shah, who is also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was also involved in making late changes to the ICC World Cup 2023 schedule which led to criticism from cricketing circles.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.