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 match.
“That is unacceptable, and it’s the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) which should clarify this lapse for the reason that Asia Cup is underneath their purview,” Latif declared, expressing his dismay on the omission.
Whereas 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 strategy, citing situations such because the inclusion of the host nation’s title in logos for different ACC occasions just like the Asian Rising Nations Cup and the Asian under-16 occasion held in Malaysia earlier this yr.
Former Check batsman Mohsin Khan echoed these considerations, emphasising the necessity for the ACC to make clear the confusion surrounding this situation. “The ACC ought to present a transparent clarification for this discrepancy,” he asserted.
An nameless former participant speculated that the contentious relationship between Pakistan and India is likely to 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 Management for Cricket in India (BCCI), occupies a key place within the decision-making course of. The nameless participant steered that the BCCI official may need wished to keep away from potential discomfort for the Indian workforce members because of the delicate nature of the Pakistan-India relationship.
Rashid Latif didn’t dismiss this chance, emphasising that the incident was not solely embarrassing but additionally required additional clarification. “Given the present situation between the 2 international locations, maybe the BCCI official felt it could be embarrassing for the Indian workforce gamers to put on kits with the title of Pakistan on the official Asia Cup brand,” he stated.
(With inputs from PTI)
