The long-running dispute between India and Pakistan over the hosting of the 2023 Asia Cup and ODI World Cup continues. Najam Sethi, the recently appointed head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has stated that the organisation will heed the national government’s guidance in this regard. After BCCI secretary Jay Shah declared that Pakistan would not host the Asia Cup in 2023, the two top boards—BCCI and PCB—got into a fight.
Then, if they would not come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, the then-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said that Pakistan would boycott the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. “We will obey whatever the government would suggest to us and we will seek the government’s advice when the time arrives, similar to the last time I was the chairman. As far as the Asia Cup is concerned, I will go to ACC (Asian Cricket Council) and see what the situation is and we’ll take a decision that is in the better interest of the game. We have to see what the other board’s position is, we have to play cricket with everyone, and we will not take any step which can cause any isolation,” the PCB chief was quoted by India TV.
The Pakistan cricket squad is now undergoing an overhaul, and there have been numerous stories about anything from Babar Azam losing his captaincy to changes in the management of the coaching staff. Sethi confirmed speaking with Mickey Arthur about taking over as the head coach of the national team, albeit not all of it may be accurate. The team was led by the former Proteas cricketer from 2016 to 2019 and won the Champions Trophy in 2017. The apex board has not yet officially acknowledged the managerial change.