PCB chief threatens Pakistan no-show in 2021 T20 World Cup if India pull out of Asia Cup

Dismissing reports that Pakistan has given up hosting rights for the T20 Asia Cup, PCB chief executive Wasim Khan has threatened that if India do not turn up for the Asia Cup, Pakistan will not participate in the 2021 T20 World Cup that is set to be held on Indian soil.

In the aftermath of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) agreeing to send its team to Pakistan for a T20 series and two ICC World Test Championship matches in three phases, reports had emerged that Pakistan had given up the hosting rights of the Asia Cup to Bangladesh.

Rubbishing the above, Khan stated that changing the host of the Asia Cup wasn’t the PCB or the ICC’s prerogative, since the hosting rights of the competition were unanimously awarded to Pakistan by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

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Khan went on to reveal that the PCB are in the process of zeroing-in on two venues to host the games, and threatened that if India decide to pull out of the Asia Cup, Pakistan will not participate in next year’s T20 World Cup slated to be held in India.

"It is not the prerogative of the PCB or the ICC to change the host as it was the decision of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC)," Wasim was quoted as saying by The Dawn.

"We are currently considering two venues to host the Asia Cup," he added. "If India doesn't come to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, we would also refuse participation in the 2021 T20 World Cup there."

The PCB chief executive’s comments come after it was reported early last week that the BCCI have refused to budge from their decision of playing cricket on Pakistani soil.