T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma-led Indian team is set to square off against Babar Azam-led team Pakistan in their opening encounter of the T20 World Cup 2022 this Sunday (October 23). The renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground is assigned to host the high-octane game, officially commencing at 1:30 PM Indian Time.
The marquee Asian sides faced each other a few weeks back in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022. The Men In Blue came out victorious on the first occasion while the Men In Green made a remarkable comeback on the other. The upcoming encounter between arch-rivals promises to be an enthralling encounter, with both the teams equally fancying their chances of registering a triumph.
BCCI likes Pakistani journalist’s controversial tweet:
In the meantime, The official Twitter account of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) allegedly liked a controversial tweet of a Pakistani journalist. In the tweet, The journo slammed BCCI secretary Jay Shah writing ‘Coward don’t run away. Keep politics away from sports’ after the recent controversy between BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board.
The BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated that the original hosts Pakistan will not host the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup and instead the marquee tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue. The Pakistan Cricket Board was not happy with the statements made by Shah on the public forearm and went on to express its disappointment through an official media release.
“We’ll have Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue. It’s the govt that decides over the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that. Still, for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue,” the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah told ANI in Mumbai.
“The overall impact of such statements has the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle.” wrote PCB in a media release.
