Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan cricket captain, has strongly criticized Jay Shah, the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), for issues related to the scheduling and security of the Asia Cup.
Shahid Afridi used his social media platform ‘X’ to express his dissatisfaction with Shah’s comments. Without holding back, Afridi pointed out various international cricket events and teams that have been successfully hosted in Pakistan in recent years.
Shahid Afridi refuted Shah’s claims about security concerns in Pakistan and declared Pakistan’s readiness to host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
I came across Mr @JayShah’s statement about security situation in Pakistan. Just to refresh his memory, Pakistan has hosted the following foreign players/teams in the past six years:
2017 – ICC World XI & SL
2018 – WI
2019 – WI (W), BD (W) & SL
2020 – BD, PSL, MCC & Zim
2021 –…— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 6, 2023
Afridi’s response comes after Jay Shah’s statement asserting that Pakistan is not a secure location for cricket events. Shah explained that several stakeholders had reservations about hosting the entire Asia Cup in Pakistan due to concerns regarding security and the country’s economic situation.
Shah mentioned, “Initially, all full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan due to concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country,” in a press release.
It’s worth noting that the decision by ACC and Shah to hold all Super Four matches in Colombo, despite the likelihood of heavy rain, has faced criticism. Currently, Sri Lanka is experiencing rainy conditions that are expected to affect the upcoming Super Four matches. Despite backlash, Shah has maintained the original schedule. Additionally, the India-Pakistan group stage match was washed out due to rain, and India’s last group stage match against Nepal was also affected, resulting in a reduction in overs during the second innings.
Previously, ACC had intended to relocate the Super Four matches to Hambantota due to poor weather forecasts in Colombo, with the approval of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). However, Shah reversed this decision, causing significant discontent within the PCB.