Asia Cup 2023: PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf Opens Up On Controversy Surrounding Tournament's Schedule Announcement

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf has shed light on the controversy surrounding the announcement of the Asia Cup 2023 schedule. The schedule for the tournament dated between August 30 to September 17 was announced on July 19.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah made the announcement public 30 minutes before PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf was about to announce the schedule. Shah’s actions took the cricketing world by surprise as Pakistan are the official hosts of the tournament despite it being played in the hybrid model. Four matches will be played in Pakistan while Sri Lanka will host nine matches.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Zaka Ashraf spoke on the controversy surrounding the early announcement of the tournament schedule saying pre-decided time for the announcement was shared and agreed upon by both the PCB and others.

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They Announced It Half An Hour Earlier: PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf

“Basically, there was an issue of time difference. Maybe there was some sort of misunderstanding involved, and they announced it half an hour earlier. The time decided between both the boards was the same; it could have been better if they would’ve announced it at the pre-decided time. But if they did, we didn’t create an issue around it because if we want to establish good working relations with them, we shouldn’t be bothered by such minor issues,” Ashraf said.

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He further said that a special arrangement was ensured for the announcement of the schedule which was attended by former Pakistan cricketers collectively praying for the welfare of the Pakistan cricket team.

“We arranged a rather glittering ceremony and unveiled the trophy. Many renowned cricketers attended the event. All of us collectively prayed for Pakistan that may Allah bless Pakistan with the utmost respect and Pakistan will be known as one of the top cricketing nations in the world,” Zaka Ashraf added further.

Asia Cup 2023 will be played from August 30 to September 17. The tournament will be played in the 50-over format having 13 matches in total. India, Pakistan, and Nepal are in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan form Group B.

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