“When will you stop your habit of taking a U-turn?” – Danish Kaneria takes a dig at PCB chief for hybrid model in 2023 Asia Cup

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has taken a dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi for the hybrid model in the 2023 Asia Cup.

The former off-spinner said that Pakistan should have not boasted about hosting the tournament entirely at home if they take a hard stand on it.

The 42-year-old questioned PCB’s achievement in the hybrid model, saying that Babar Azam and Co. will only be able to play against Nepal at home before traveling to Sri Lanka for the remainder of the continental tournament.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria said:

“PCB chiefs Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi had made a lot of uproar in front of the media that they will not go to India. When will you stop your habit of taking a U-turn? Be a man of words. Think before you speak. There is fear. Pause and tilt often lead to success.”

He continued:

“They got the Hybrid model. What did they achieve? End of the day, they will play against Nepal in Pakistan. Did fans want to see that? Pakistan also gave a green signal that they will play World Cup in India."

He also added:

"I am not saying that Nepal is a weak team. You cannot label anyone small in cricket. You never know that on a given day, they might perform well or a big team fails.”

For the uninitiated, Nepal were the sixth team to qualify for the Asia Cup after defeating UAE by seven wickets in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup final. They are placed alongside India and Pakistan in group A.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan comprise group B.

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“Its value is equal to an ICC event” – Kamran Akmal on Asia Cup

Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal said that the 50-over Asia Cup will be a perfect preparation for the ICC ODI World Cup later this year. The 41-year-old wants India and Pakistan to play against each other more instead of only ICC events.

Akmal, who is part of PCB’s selection committee, said on his YouTube channel:

“Asia Cup is a preparation for the World Cup. Its value is equal to an ICC event. All these Asian teams should play each other on a regular basis. I am stressing about India and Pakistan. In the past, India and Pakistan have toured each other several teams in the last 20 years. You know there is a government-to-government issue. I don’t blame the BCCI or PCB.”

The 2023 Asia Cup will kick start on August 31, while the final is scheduled to be played on September 17.

The last edition of the tournament was won by Dasun Shanaka's Sri Lanka as they beat Pakistan by 23 runs in the final.