As the deadlock not to play cricket in Pakistan still remains, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to host a five-nation tournament in place of the Asia Cup.

The 50-over tournament is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in August-September this year. However, the BCCI continuously refused to send the Rohit Sharma-led men to Pakistan due to political tensions between the two countries.

The Pakistan Cricket Board presented a hybrid model for Asia Cup at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in order to break the deadlock.

Under the proposed model, all teams would play their matches in Pakistan except for India, who would play their matches at a neutral venue.

The model was presented by PCB Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi last month, and ACC President Jay Shah also expressed his interest. But, upon returning to India, he opposed it.

If the PCB remains firm on its position regarding the hybrid model, then Asia Cup might not be able to take place this year, Cricket Pakistan citing its sources reported. The Najam Sethi-led board is also prepared for the aforementioned outcome.

The possibility of holding the entire event in another country has been rejected by the PCB. One of the main reasons behind the PCB’s firm stand is because of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played in Pakistan. The think tank believes if the issue is not resolved now, then it would face difficulties in hosting other major events.

Both, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who made an unofficial attempt, were unsuccessful to convince the PCB for holding the tournament at a neutral venue.

Moreover, Sri Lanka wants to host the event again, while UAE has also expressed a desire in staging the tournament.

On the other hand, BCCI is working on hosting a five-nation tournament in place of the Asia Cup. The tournament, which would not feature Pakistan, would be held during the window vacated by the cancellation of the Asia Cup.

A big decision regarding the Asia Cup can be expected in a few days. If the Asia Cup does not take place this year, it may also affect Pakistan’s preparations for the 2023 World Cup in India.