When Ehsan Mani, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, spoke during the launch of Pakistan’s T20 league PSL (Pakistan Super League) in National Stadium, he had stated that the Venue for conducting Asia Cup will be decided based on the decisions made by the majority stake-holders in the Asian Cricket Council and he also gave an indication that their country might give up its hosting rights for the upcoming Asia Cup T20 tournament. Mani furthermore stated that they have to focus on the associate nations more than the full members. The upcoming ACC meet in March will be used to finalize the venue and other details for the Asia Cup.
Mani’s statements were due to India’s refusal to play in Pakistan for the Asia Cup and BCCI insisted that the tournament must be held in neutral venue for them to participate. CEO of the PCB, Wasim Khan stated that if they are not allowed to conduct the whole tournament at home, Pakistan would forego its hosting rights. Pakistan had visited India in 2012 to play a short ODI series. However, since 2008, India has not played a full test bilateral series in Pakistan and this was due to the strained political situation between the two countries.
