PCB wants Under-19 Asia Cup shifted out of India
The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to raise their voice against India hosting the Under-19 Asia Cup due to the long-standing political tensions between the two neighbours. The tournament is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru in November this year, but Pakistan are not interested in touring India.
India has already been given the hosting rights of the 2017 edition, which is seen as a good run out for the players ahead of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand.
However, the PCB are now ready to voice their concerns to relocate it to a neutral venue, during the upcoming Development and Annual general meetings of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on August 11 and 12. Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, is the current president of the ACC and will chair the meeting.
"Since Pakistan is current chair of ACC, we will discuss this matter on August 12 in Colombo," Najam Sethi, head of the PCB's executive committee, told ESPNcricinfo. "There are secure neutral venues outside India and Pakistan where the championship can be held."
It’s understood that the BCCI had written to the Home Ministry a few weeks ago but are still awaiting a reply. The board have also written to the ACC whether they could push the tournament back to allow the Indian board some more time to get the necessary permission.Â
Another PCB source, privy to the development, confirmed to the same website that they want Pakistan to play the tournament but do not want the team to face any inconveniences while doing so.
"We definitely want to play the tournament, being an important member of the ACC," a PCB official said. "But playing in India in present circumstances is not possible. There will be a visa glitch and a lot of other off-field issues will prevail. We don't want to face any inconvenience ahead of the event."
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