LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf on Wednesday wrote to Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Jay Shah seeking compensation for losses pertaining to the washed-out games during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
In a letter addressed to the ACC president, PCB objected to the arbitrary and unilateral decision of holding the Super 4 stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, in Colombo instead of Hambantota despite concerns over bad weather.
“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 read.
Demanding a clarification over the matter the letter further said: “It is still not clear who has taken this decision and, in this regard, a clarification is demanded.”
Accentuating the financial loss due to the haphazard scheduling of the tournament, the PCB said: “Who will be responsible for the loss of gate receipts to the PCB and the adverse impact on the ACC Event’s brand value should the matches be rained out in Colombo? The ACC will have to take responsibility for the washed-out matches, incremental costs if any, and also reimburse PCB for the losses of gate revenue.”
The development comes as earlier, the ACC president made a mockery of the Asia Cup 2023 after it emerged on Tuesday that the Super 4 matches will be held in Colombo, as originally planned, instead of Hambantota.
On Monday, the ACC decided to shift all the Super 4 matches of the Asia Cup 2023 to Hambantota as a long rain spell is expected in Colombo for the next 15 days.
The decision was taken after closely looking at the weather forecast and the possibility of rain disturbing the matches. The decision was also conveyed to all members of the Shah-led ACC through an email.
However, soon after, the email was retracted with the ACC saying that the matches would be held in Colombo as per schedule.
The PCB is also facing logistical issues due to the sudden change in venue for Asia Cup 2023 matches.
Shah, who is also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was also involved in making late changes to the ICC World Cup 2023 schedule which led to criticism from cricketing circles.