Reports say that PCB won’t play Sri Lanka in ODIs because SLC wants to host the Asia Cup.

After Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) offered to host the 2023 Asia Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is said to have turned down Sri Lanka’s offer to play an ODI series. Relationships between the two boards are said to have gotten worse after SLC first turned down PCB’s “hybrid model” and then offered to host the ACC event in the island nation.

The 2023 ODI World Cup will be held in India from October to November. The SLC suggested an ODI series to get ready for the big event. But after the latest news about the Asia Cup, the PCB has turned down the idea because of how tense things are between the two boards.

“A sign that things are getting worse between the two boards is that the PCB turned down a request from the Lankans to play a few one-day internationals in Sri Lanka next month. The PCB is not happy that the Sri Lankan board stepped in to offer to host the Asia Cup in September when it is Pakistan’s turn to host the regional event at home, a PCB source was quoted as saying by the Hindu.

Najam Sethi is unhappy with how things turned out. PCB source

The person close to the PCB also said that chairman Najam Sethi thought that the SLC would help convince the BCCI and other board members to use the hybrid model. But since SLC offered to host the Asia Cup, it is thought that Sethi is unhappy with how things have turned out.

“Sri Lanka, which has been friendly with Pakistan for a long time, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan were expected to convince the Indian Cricket Board and other Asian Cricket Council board members to go along with Sethi’s plan and play at least three or four Asia Cup games in Pakistan before moving the tournament somewhere else,” a source said.

“He is upset with how things have gone in recent days, especially when some of these board heads went to India for the IPL final and met with BCCI secretary Jay Shah,” the source said.