BCCI vs PCB Power Tussle Throws Asia Cup Into Further Doubt. Report Claims 'Geopolitical' Factor
Even cricket Asia Cup is in doubt. India are the designated host for the tournament, and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is yet to announce the schedule or the venue of the tournament. The rumour mill has pencilled September as the unofficial window for the tournament. The meeting to decide the schedule was supposed to take place on July 24 in Dhaka. But, India refused to travel for the meeting. Recently, BCCI and BCB mutually decided to defer India's tour of Bangladesh from August 2025 to September 2026.
The ACC is headed by the PCB chairman and Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi. According to an ANI source, Naqvi is attempting to exert "unnecessary pressure" on India regarding the meeting. The source also confirmed that BCCI asked the body's president to change the venue, but has yet to receive a response.
In the midst of this, a report in Cricbuzz has said that the ACC meeting has turned into a geopolitical issue.
"It now seems the event has turned into a geopolitical matter. Aminul (Islam, the interim head of the BCB) could have handled the situation more carefully when approached by the PCB president to host the meeting," the report quoted an insider as saying.
"I think he could have taken more time because, in situations like this, taking time is part of the game. Probably due to inexperience, he agreed to host it without fully understanding the geopolitical implications."
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Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
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The day was ending, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were in their 80s and there was no doubt about the result of the Test. India had miraculously managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat on the final day of the fourth Test. The knackered England captain Ben Stokes had enough, he wanted to shake hands and nurse his wounds in the dressing room. But the day's heroes — Jadeja and Washington — were in no hurry to leave. They wanted to rub a few English noses in the mud and get well-deserved Test hundreds. They also wanted the crowd, and their teammates, to celebrate the draw that was as precious as a win. They finally shook hands with the scoreboard showing India 425 for four, Jadeja (107 not out) and Washington (101 not out). The world had written them off, now Jadeja and Sundar had done a monumental rewrite, they had penned history. Only twice have India batted out more overs in the third innings to save a Test after conceding a first innings lead of 300-plus. Trailing by 311 runs at lunch on Day 4, India were staring at an innings defeat. But against all odds, Shubman Gill's young team batted for 143 overs and lost just four wickets. This was a comeback for ages. The series that seemed dead — the loss for India here would have seen England take a 3-1 lead — has been magically kept alive. With momentum on their side, India can now dream of winning the final Test at Oval and level the series 2-2. Nothing can be put beyond a team where a batsman with a fractured foot — Rishabh Pant — raises his hand to take the field and do his bit. Indian coach Gautam Gambhir, after the match, spoke about the importance of the draw for the rest of the series. 'It will give us an edge. When you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling. It just ends up giving a lot of confidence to the dressing room,' he said. Unlike many teams of the past, with bigger stars, this Indian team just refuses to give up. 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Indian Express
23 minutes ago
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Rishabh Pant ruled out of 5th IND vs ENG Test at the Oval due to fractured foot
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The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Guys showed character, says Gambhir
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