LAHORE – Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the management committee for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), wrote to Jay Shah, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), on Wednesday to request compensation for the losses associated with the games that were postponed during the current Asia Cup 2023.
PCB expressed its displeasure with the arbitrarily made decision to host the Super 4 stage of the current Asia Cup 2023 at Colombo rather than Hambantota despite weather-related issues.
“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 letter stated.
The letter said, “It is still unclear who has taken this decision and, in this regard, a clarification is demanded,” demanding clarification on the issue.
The PCB highlighted the financial loss caused by the tournament’s erratic scheduling by asking: “Who would be accountable for the loss of gate receipts to the PCB and the negative impact on the brand value of the ACC event should the matches be rained out in Colombo? The ACC will be liable for any additional expenditures incurred as a result of the washed-out matches, as well as for paying the PCB back for lost gate receipts.”
The news comes after it was revealed on Tuesday that the Super 4 matches will be staged in Colombo, as originally intended, rather than Hambantota, leading the ACC president to make fun of the Asia Cup 2023. As a prolonged rainstorm is anticipated in Colombo over the course of the next 15 days, the ACC decided on Monday to move all of the Super 4 matches of the Asia Cup 2023 to Hambantota.
The decision to play was made after carefully examining the weather outlook and the potential for rain to interfere with the matches. The Shah-led ACC’s whole membership was likewise informed of the decision through email.
The ACC quickly issued a retraction to the email, stating that the matches will go on as scheduled in Colombo.
