Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has denied reports of accepting the invitation to tour Pakistan, terming it as “simply wrong”.
Reports regarding Shah’s visit were attributed to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf, who said that BCCI officials would visit Pakistan during or before the start of the Asia Cup.
It is reported that Shah accepted Ashraf’s invitation during a meeting on the sidelines of the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) annual meeting in Durban, South Africa on Tuesday.
“I didn’t agree to anything. It was just a simple mistake. Maybe it was done deliberately or out of spite. I won’t be touring,” Jay Shah told JEE News on Wednesday morning.
Earlier speaking to JEE News from Durban, PCB’s Ashraf confirmed his two meetings with Indian officials on Tuesday.
“First, it was a three-on-three meeting with all the top officials of the two countries, who were engaged in group meetings,” Ashraf said.
“Later, it was a one-on-one meeting. I discussed various options with Jay Shah to rekindle the cricket relationship, which was also positive, and tour Pakistan during or before the start of the Asia Cup. accepted my invitation.
He also invited me to visit India during the World Cup which I accepted. I told them that the Pakistani nation always respects and welcomes its guests.
Ashraf said that both the meetings were productive as the cricket officials of the two countries listened to each other’s point of view.
Ashraf added that the best part is that both the cricket boards have agreed to improve the relationship through future talks.
After years of hiatus, such talks could be the beginning of a resurgence of cricket between the two countries.
The Asia Cup cricket tournament will be played from August 31 to September 17 in the 50-over format.
Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal will participate in a total of 13 ODIs.
These teams are divided into two groups, Group A includes Pakistan, India and Nepal. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in Group B.
