Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif was among the many vocal critics who lambasted the PCB for this oversight. Latif expressed his dissatisfaction, highlighting that the Asia Cup was collectively organised by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan serving because the host nation for the event.
“This is unacceptable, and it is the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) which must explain this lapse since the Asia Cup is under their purview,” Latif declared, expressing his dismay on the omission.
While PCB officers tried to downplay the state of affairs by attributing the omission to a call by the ACC following the earlier yr’s Asia Cup, Pakistani cricket followers on social media platforms remained unconvinced. Many questioned the rationale behind the ACC’s inconsistent method, citing situations such because the inclusion of the host nation’s identify in logos for different ACC occasions just like the Asian Emerging Nations Cup and the Asian under-16 occasion held in Malaysia earlier this yr.
Former Test batsman Mohsin Khan echoed these issues, emphasising the necessity for the ACC to make clear the confusion surrounding this challenge. “The ACC should provide a clear explanation for this discrepancy,” he asserted.
An nameless former participant speculated that the contentious relationship between Pakistan and India may be an element behind the omission. This sentiment was additional exacerbated by the truth that Jay Shah, the president of the ACC and the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), occupies a key place within the decision-making course of. The nameless participant advised that the BCCI official may need needed to keep away from potential discomfort for the Indian staff members as a result of delicate nature of the Pakistan-India relationship.
Rashid Latif didn’t dismiss this risk, emphasising that the incident was not solely embarrassing but in addition required additional clarification. “Given the current scenario between the two countries, perhaps the BCCI official felt it would be embarrassing for the Indian team players to wear kits with the name of Pakistan on the official Asia Cup logo,” he mentioned.
(With inputs from PTI)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com