In order to finalize the logistics and timetable of the event, which is anticipated to begin on August 31, the senior members of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who are presently attending ICC meetings in Durban, South Africa, are scheduled to meet with representatives of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in Dubai on Sunday and Monday.
After preliminary negotiations in South Africa, the ACC representatives will meet with PCB offi-cials in Dubai on Sunday to finalize all the issues pertaining to the Asia Cup, a PCB official in Durban informed the Pakistani media. Even though the preliminary talks are over, this confirms earlier rumors that Pakistan will only host four games.
“To start with, the ACC just agreed to hold one Asia Cup match (Pakistan vs Nepal) in Pakistan but following a series of discussion between former Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi and ACC officials it was decided that Pakistan would host three matches and then a fourth was added. Pakistan will host four matches now that include Pakistan vs Nepal and almost all the first round matches of other group, Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan. Pakistan will play against arch-rivals India most probably in Dambulla twice in a week and then again if both teams make it to the final,” the official said.
The PCB official continued by saying that the money factor was more significant than the location of the matches in Sri Lanka.
“It has already been finalised that Pakistan will only host Asia Cup matches as a host nation while the rest of the event will be held in Sri Lanka. The important thing is how much Pakistan gets as revenue to host remaining matches in Sri Lanka. By organising the event in UAE, we were confident of getting a healthy revenue from gate money, ground hoarding and other such related marketing ventures. But in Sri Lanka it is hard to generate an extra amount. We have to reach some understanding with the ACC to ensure that we would get revenues we are looking at,” the official added.
Even while Najam Sethi was in charge of the PCB Committee, Pakistan was in negotiations with ACC representatives to ensure that they would receive an amount equivalent to what India earned by hosting an Asian cricket tournament in the UAE the previous year.
“That is what we are looking at and that is to generate the same revenues what India generated from hosting the Asia Cup last year in Dubai,” the official said.
On top of money, Sunday’s conference in Dubai will also cover other topics pertaining to traveling teams, officials, and journalists.
“PCB Chairman Zaka Ashtraf and BCC secre-tary Jay Shah who met a couple of days back in Durban had initial discussion on all the issues which are expected to be finalised in Dubai before its official announcement. One thing is certain that the only window available to host the Asia Cup is the first fifteen days of September with one match already decided to be held on August 31. From September 15 onward the World Cup preparations will take the centre stage,” the official concluded.—Agencies
