In what could be a sensational turnaround, India have apparently
refused to host the Asia Cup that is scheduled in September 2018, reports various
media outlets in India.
The reason behind the controversial decision is the inclusion
of Pakistan in the tournament. It is said that India are reluctant to host
Pakistan. Indeed, such is the reluctance that BCCI don’t even want to host the
U19 Asia Cup because of Pakistan’s presence.
BCCI, earlier, released their team’s schedule for the
upcoming four years, which had almost every team’s participation – except for
Pakistan. However, according to several reports in the media, the BCCI will
reserve a slot to host a bilateral series with Pakistan somewhere down the
line.
This is not the first time that the two boards have clashed
as earlier this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board filed a complaint against the
BCCI over the latter breaching their memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed
between the two boards.
According to it, India were obligated to play two series against
their bitter rivals. However, since it didn’t happen, the PCB are now filing a
lawsuit against the Indian board for $70 million.
This decision of the BCCI is going to do nothing but further
strain the relation between the two countries. India-Pakistan series are always
something that fans look forward to as it creates a lot of hype.
Sadly, however, it seems as though we will only get to
witness these two teams in ICC tournaments and that, too, if luck brings them
together.