Asia Cup: PCB invites BCCI secretary Jay Shah to Pakistan to watch opening match

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) extended an invitation to Jay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), to grace the opening match of the highly anticipated Asia Cup. This thrilling encounter between Pakistan and Nepal is scheduled to take place on August 30th in the vibrant city of Multan.

In addition to Shah, the PCB has cordially invited the esteemed heads of other cricket boards affiliated with the Asian Cricket Council to join in the festivities and witness this momentous occasion firsthand.

According to a reliable source within the PCB, the invitation sent to Shah was more of a hopeful gesture rather than a realistic expectation of him visiting Pakistan.

The PCB has taken the initiative to follow up on the invitation, which was initially extended verbally by Chairman Zaka Ashraf to Jay Shah during their meeting in Durban for the ICC meeting, the source revealed.

Initially, the Pakistani media reported that Shah had accepted the PCB's invitation, but the Secretary of the BCCI denied this claim.

The PCB found itself in an embarrassing situation when the Pakistani media reported that Jay Shah had accepted Zaka Ashraf's invitation, only to have the Indian board official later firmly deny it, the source added.

The source, well-informed about the current relations between India and Pakistan, stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) intended to demonstrate its commitment to keeping sports and politics separate. This was evident in their decision to extend an invitation to Shah.

The idea is to basically highlight Pakistan's chosen stance on cricket relations with India that it does not mix politics with sports, he added.

The Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled to take place from August 30th to September 17th, encompassing various venues in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

(With inputs from PTI)