Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani is optimistic about hosting India in the Asia Cup in 2023 and hopes the political relations between the two countries would improve by then.
Mani said Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup in 2022.
“In recent days there has been some positive signs through backdoor channels and hopefully the ice will melt in the relations,” he told the Jang newspaper in an interview on Wednesday.
Mani said if the Indian team visited Pakistan, it would be a “big breakthrough” for Pakistan cricket.
Mani further said the Asia Cup 2021 was unlikely to be held as neither Pakistan nor India would have the time for it. Pakistan would be busy hosting PSL 6 matches and India would be busy with the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
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“There was a small window [for the Asia Cup] in June in which we are going to play the rest of the Pakistan Super League matches,” Mani said.
“The Indian team will play the final of the Test Championship against New Zealand. They have to go to England two weeks ago and stay in quarantine so the Indian team is also busy,” he added.
Mani said he hadn’t officially received any information on the reports of India sending its ‘B’ team for the Asia Cup. “We have also heard about the Indian board wanting to send a ‘B’ team to Asia Cup but no one has spoken about it to us.”
Mani said the revenue earned from the Asia Cup would be spent on promoting cricket in associate countries, and that the Asian Cricket Council would be guaranteed a proper income from the tournament only if all the teams took part in the regional competition.
Mani also disclosed that the ICC had assured the PCB about Pakistan's participation in the T20 World Cup this year in India.
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