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Tag: BCCI

  • VIP protocol; BCCI officials to get bulletproof cars for Pakistan visit

    VIP protocol; BCCI officials to get bulletproof cars for Pakistan visit

    Punjab Home Ministry has approved the use of bulletproof vehicles by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chairman Roger Binny and Deputy Chairman Rajeev Shukla when they visit Lahore during the 2023 Asian Cup.


    The BCCI Chairman and BCCI Vice-Chairman are expected to arrive in Lahore on September 4 and attend a dinner at Governor’s house on the invitation of Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Zaka Ashraf.


    The Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) has asked the Punjab Department of Home Affairs to take back the two double-cab vehicles it had previously provided and send them bulletproof Mercedes and Land Cruisers.

    Read More: BCCI president Roger Binny, vice president Rajeev Shukla to visit Pakistan


    Ministry of Home Affairs has approved PCB’s application and issued instructions to S&GAD.
    Roger Binny has already confirmed his and Rajeev Shukla’s visit to Pakistan.

  • Fans react to Babar Azam being ‘ignored’ by ICC in World Cup promo

    Fans react to Babar Azam being ‘ignored’ by ICC in World Cup promo

    On July 20, the International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a promo for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Cricket fans around the world have strongly reacted to Babar Azam, number one ODI batter, being ignored by the ICC in its recently released World Cup promo in which Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan also made an appearance.

    ICC tweeted: “History will be written and dreams will be realised at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. All it takes is just one day.”

    However, cricket fans were quick to point out an obvious omission by the ICC in its World Cup promo.

    The missing factor: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam.

    Read more: Babar Azam and co ready to dominate in LPL: auction data released

    Fans called out the ICC for its ‘bias’, not including Babar Azam in the promo and also for making the content more about the Indian cricket team and less about the World Cup.

    Here are some tweets by fans who were not happy with the ICC:

  • No conflict on chairman PCB’s seat, says Rana Sana Ullah

    No conflict on chairman PCB’s seat, says Rana Sana Ullah

    In a press conference, Rana Sanaullah declared that there is no dispute within the government over the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He mentioned that the Prime Minister always fosters inclusivity, and coalition partner Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) chief Asif Zardari engages in discussions.

    He clarified that any political party can hold different opinions regarding the appointment of the PCB Chairman, but there is no fundamental disagreement.

    Furthermore, Rana Sanaullah emphasized that there is no pressure on former Chairman Nadra, Tariq Malik. He denied any occurrence of a contentious conversation between himself and Tariq Malik’s secretary.

    It is important to note that Chairman of the PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi, recently met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During the meeting, the Prime Minister directed Najam Sethi to expedite the elections for the PCB Chairman.

    Shahbaz Sharif has nominated Najam Sethi as the candidate for the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Following this nomination, Najam Sethi held a meeting with Sharif, where he briefed the Prime Minister on the upcoming Asia Cup and the World Cup in India.

    According to sources, Najam Sethi also sought the Prime Minister’s opinion on the Asia Cup and the World Cup, and the Premier expressed complete confidence in Najam Sethi.

    During the briefing, it was announced that the PCB’s 2014 constitution has been fully reinstated. Elections for the PCB districts have been completed in over 90% of the districts, and 80% of the regional elections have also been concluded.

    Additionally, it was disclosed that the Regional Inter-District Under-19 Cricket Tournament will commence on June 15. The one-year cricket calendar has been finalized and will be announced soon. All departments have begun assembling their cricket teams.

  • Clear roadmap for Pakistan’s World Cup journey to India

    Clear roadmap for Pakistan’s World Cup journey to India

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to the hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023. Now, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in a meeting with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and other cricketing boards, has approved the model with slight amendments.

    Asia Cup 2023 is all set to be played with PCB’s hybrid model, while Pakistan retains the hosting rights.

    The PCB favors the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue, considering it a smart and effective revenue gateway for Pakistan. However, other boards, including the Indian Cricket Board, argued for an alternative venue. Consequently, the ACC has finalized Sri Lanka as the neutral venue for the tournament. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now co-host the Asia Cup 2023.

    According to the proposed hybrid model, the first four or five matches will be played in Pakistan, with the remainder of the tournament moving to Sri Lanka, where India will have the opportunity to play their group matches.


    The PCB had been ready to show flexibility over a tit-for-tat stance for the World Cup had the Indian board rejected the hybrid model. The former had also expected the Pakistan government to grant approval for the country’s team to travel to India for the 50-over showpiece “much easily” if the proposed model was accepted.

    It is, therefore, understood that Pakistan will feature in India for the first time since 2016. Whether they take on the hosts, their arch-rivals, in Ahmedabad as proposed in a draft schedule sent by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to the boards of the participating sides is also to be decided by the country’s government.

    As per media reports, the PCB, having received the draft schedule as well, has started it’s consultations with the government over the fixture list and a decision is expected to be made in the coming week.

    That would also mean that the official schedule of the World Cup will be released just over three months ahead of the first game of the tournament on October 5.

    According to the draft schedule, Pakistan will kick off their campaign on October 6 against one of the teams coming through from the preceding qualifying round in Hyderabad before taking on another qualifier at the same venue on October 12.

    The Babar Azam-led unit is scheduled to fly out to Ahmedabad for the high-octane clash against India on October 15 before playing Australia five days later in Bengaluru and Afghanistan and South Africa in Chennai on October 23 and 27.

    After locking horns with Bangladesh in Kolkata four days later, Pakistan will return to Bengaluru for their match against New Zealand on November 5 before concluding the league stage with their fixture against England in Kolkata on November 12.

    The dates and venues for the tournament’s semi-finals and final have not been included in the draft schedule

  • Asia Cup: Pakistan and Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament?

    Asia Cup: Pakistan and Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament?

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s proposed hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023 is likely to be approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue where India can play their games. The model sees four – and possibly five – of the tournament’s 13 games being played in Pakistan. All the India-Pakistan games will be played in Sri Lanka, as will the final if India is involved.

    According to media reports an official announcement is likely after the weekend. The window set aside for the tournament is between September 1-17. For the Pakistan leg, the games are likely to be played in Lahore.

    The likely approval represents a significant breakthrough in an impasse which has not only dragged on for some time but has also threatened fallout for ICC events, most pressingly the World Cup in India this year but also the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. There is a possibility now that an agreement here could ease Pakistan’s path to traveling to India for the World Cup.

    The hybrid model was proposed as a solution due to India and Pakistan unwillingness to travel to the other’s country. India’s refusal to tour Pakistan prompted Pakistan to go with the model in order to retain the hosting rights.

    Pakistan initially offered UAE as a second venue citing a lucrative opportunity for gate receipts during Pakistan-India matches in the tournament, but Bangladesh raised concerns over the extreme weather in the Middle East in September.

    PCB head Najam Sethi had presented details of the hybrid model to Pankaj Khimji, head of Oman Cricket and the ACC’s vice-president, in a meeting in Dubai a couple of weeks ago. It was the solution the PCB had proposed to account for the fact that India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament because of ongoing political tensions between the governments of the two countries.

    India and Pakistan have been grouped together along with Nepal in the six-nation Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in the 50-over format as preparation for the World Cup. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in the other group.

    A total of 13 matches, including the final, are expected be played across 13 days. Like the format from 2022, it is expected that the top two teams from each group will advance to a Super 4s round, before the top two teams from that contest the final. That leaves open the possibility of India and Pakistan playing each other three times, should they make the final.

  • Babar Azam’s birthday could create unforgettable memories for cricket fans

    Babar Azam’s birthday could create unforgettable memories for cricket fans

    Pakistan cricket skipper Babar Azam’s birthday this year is not just a delight for the batsman himself, but it will also bring immense joy to cricket fans of Indo-Pak across the world.

    According to the schedule sent by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for World Cup 2023, the eagerly awaited Pakistan-India match is likely to be held on October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

    Babar Azam will celebrate his 29th birthday on October 15, coinciding with the potential Pakistan-India World Cup match on the same day.

    BCCI has finalised the World Cup schedule and submitted it to the ICC. The final schedule of the World Cup is expected to be released this week.

    The ICC has shared the schedule with participating countries of the World Cup for feedback.

    Each team participating in the World Cup will play 9 league matches.

    Media reports suggest that the World Cup will commence on October 5 this year at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with the final scheduled for November 19, also at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

    The opening match of the World Cup will be played between defending champions England and New Zealand.

  • PCB urges ICC to ensure India’s Participation in Champions Trophy

    PCB urges ICC to ensure India’s Participation in Champions Trophy

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have reportedly made it clear to International Cricket Council (ICC) officials that Pakistan will only travel to India, for the upcoming World Cup 2023, if the neighboring country gives a guarantee in written form that they will send their team to Pakistan in the 2025 Champion’s Trophy.

    PCB officials placed the demand for give and take from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in front of two top ICC officials – Chairman Greg Barclay and CEO Geoff Allardice- on the second day of their tour at the board’s headquarters.

    PCB interim management committee chairman Najam Sethi spelled it out that Pakistan boycotting World Cup in India and playing their matches at a neutral venue is “very much a possibility”. This will be seen as a retaliation by the country, if India will not negotiate on Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in September 2023.

    The BCCI, so far, has also rejected the revised version of a hybrid model proposed by the PCB, in which initial group stage matches, except the matches of India, will be played in Pakistan and the rest of tournament will shift to a neutral venue. Even if the proposal is accepted, the PCB would mull playing the World Cup at a venue outside India and would provide the latter the same option come the Champions Trophy.

    Asia Cup so far, is not a matter of concern, with the ICC.

    Najam Sethi and co sat down at the table with the two top officials of ICC, but the minutes of the meeting have not been made public yet.

    PCB asked the ICC officials for a formal assurance of India’s participation in the Champions Trophy, the hosting rights of which were awarded to Pakistan two years ago.

    Barclay and Allardice’s visit, although a “scheduled” one, was a high-profile one given the scenario, but there has been silence from both the ICC and the PCB and neither have made any officials announcements so far.

    Discussions over the ICC’s expected revenue sharing model — leaked figures of which have revealed that India would take away 38.5 per cent of the body’s revenue, while Pakistan would get a mere 5.75 per cent — also continued between the PCB and the ICC officials.

    According to sources, Pakistan’s concerns on its deadlock with the BCCI will be discussed during the upcoming ICC Board meetings.

    However, given India’s stranglehold over the world’s cricket economy, it would be difficult for the ICC to entertain PCB’s asks. In such circumstances, the PCB may well consider forfeiting it’s matches in the World Cup.

  • ACC wants Pakistan to withdraw from Asia Cup 2023: Indian media

    ACC wants Pakistan to withdraw from Asia Cup 2023: Indian media

    The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) want to exclude Pakistan from the Asia Cup 2023, The Telegraph India has reported.


    Jay Shah, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary and ACC Chairman, has made it clear to the other countries in the tournament, that his board will not accept Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) suggested ‘hybrid model.’ Shah recently discussed the matter with the heads of member nations and proposed that the tournament should take place at a single venue, specifically Sri Lanka.


    Speculations are rife in Indian media that Sri Lanka secretly shook hands with India on the issue of hosting Asia Cup 2023, hinting to ACC that the weather in the island nation is also perfect for the game.


    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, were 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.

    The report further added that 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 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.

    India’s refusal to tour Pakistan and not accepting the hybrid model may push Pakistan to consider pulling out of World Cup. The PCB has reportedly informed ICC officials that their participation in the World Cup depends on government clearance.

  • Will PCB lose right to hosting Asia Cup 2023?

    Will PCB lose right to hosting Asia Cup 2023?

    The Asia Cup controversy is showing no sign of ending, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not want to end the stalemate with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    BCCI has rejected the proposal of a hybrid model proposed by PCB, with Indian officials rejecting the offer to play in Dubai. The Indian government’s rigid influence did not let Asian Cricket Council (ACC) solve the dispute amicably.

    As of PCB’s proposed hybrid model, which suggested that the first four matches will be played in Pakistan and the rest of the tournament moves to a neutral venue, Pakistan demanded that India first accepts it, then Board officials will decide which country will host the rest of the matches.

    Revenue concerns are the first priority of Pakistan, with Dubai being the favorite choice.

    Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have expressed concerns over weather conditions in Dubai. Sri Lanka is up in line for hosting Asia Cup 2023.

    Media speculation suggests that they secretly shook hands with BCCI and hinted to ACC that the weather is also suitable there.


    As time passes, Pakistan is losing its grip on hosting Asia Cup 2023 with Asian teams looking to favour India. PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has said that if the hosting rights will be stolen from the country, then Pakistan will also not play World Cup 2023 in India.

  • Has BCCI accepted Hybrid Model for Asia Cup 2023?

    Has BCCI accepted Hybrid Model for Asia Cup 2023?

    During the past few days, news media had been inundated with reports that Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to a hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023 and are ready to play at the neutral venue.

    After reports emerged that the BCCI has agreed to the hybrid model suggested by PCB, Indian board officials refuted the reports.

    “The respective presidents of…Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka cricket boards will grace IPL 2023 final…We will have hold discussions with them for outlining the future course of action in relation to Asia Cup 2023,” BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has said.


    According to Indian media reports, BCCI wants to shift the whole tournament to a neutral venue but the dispute is unresolved as Pakistan is not backing off from hosting duties.


    At this time, BCCI likely wants to shift the tournament to Sri Lanka as their board has already given a green signal by assuring ACC of suitable weather conditions.

    Sources had earlier said that the Indian board has agreed to play the Asia Cup under Pakistan’s hybrid model.

    According to the sources, Indian Cricket Board Secretary Jay Shah has accepted PCB’s proposal, under which four matches of the Asia Cup will be held in Pakistan and the rest at neutral venues.