The Board of Control for Cricket in India will not participate in the Asian Council’s annual meeting in Dhaka. The meeting is scheduled to be held on 24 July in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. BCCI says that given the current situation in Bangladesh, the board cannot attend the meeting there. India had requested ACC President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to change the venue of the meeting, but no response has been received yet.
According to sources, Mohsin Naqvi is trying to put unnecessary pressure on India. BCCI has clearly said that unless the venue of the meeting is changed, no decision can be taken regarding Asia Cup. India is hosting the Asia Cup this time and the tournament will be played in T20 format. So far ACC has not announced the schedule or venue of the tournament, but it is believed that it may take place in September.
In 2023 also, India refused to play Asia Cup in Pakistan, after which India’s matches were held in Sri Lanka. This year too there were speculations that India’s men’s and women’s teams might withdraw from the Asia Cup, but BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia has called these reports based on imagination and false. The cricket boards of Sri Lanka, Oman and Afghanistan are also with India and have also expressed concern about the meeting in Dhaka. Despite this, ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi is adamant on holding the meeting in Dhaka.
According to the ACC constitution, if important member boards do not attend this meeting, the decisions taken there can be considered invalid. This can lead to a big controversy regarding the hosting of the Asia Cup. Sources also say that Naqvi’s insistence on holding the meeting in Dhaka is being seen as an attempt to put pressure on India. Only 5 days are left for the meeting, but so far no official announcement has been made by the ACC about any new venue.