LAHORE: Inter­national Cricket Council (ICC) president Greg Barclay and chief executive Geoff Allardice heard the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) concerns over the ongoing deadlock with its Indian counterpart regarding the upcoming Asia Cup and the World Cup here on Tuesday.

Barclay and Allardice are on a two-day tour to the country and held meetings with the PCB’s interim Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi and other top officials after arriving in the city in the morning.

Dawn understands the top ICC officials were invited by Sethi to visit Pakistan on the sidelines of the global cricket governing body’s meeting in Dubai last month.

According to sources, Barclay and Allardice spent the first day of their tour only listening to the PCB’s reservations in detail. Boycotting the World Cup is one of the possibilities the board is mulling after India’s categorical refusal to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup — a move that would be a major blow for organisers ICC.

Even if Pakistan participate in the 50-over showpiece, they might prefer playing at a neutral venue outside host country India. The PCB would take that line of action only if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agrees over the “hybrid model” for the Asia Cup.

The model, proposed by Sethi to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), if accepted, would see the first-round matches of the tournament not involving India be played in Pakistan, before the competition moves to a neutral venue for the remaining games, including the final.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also the president of the ACC, however, stands opposed to the “hybrid model” so far and wants the tournament to be held entirely out of Pakistan, its official host country.

Shah, according to recent reports, is lobbying for the event to be organised Sri Lanka. A final decision, however, will only be made in the ACC executive council meeting, which is expected this week.

Barclay and Allardice will conduct another round of meetings with the PCB high-ups on Wednesday, after which a press statement will be issued by the board.

Sources said the ICC officials decided to visit Pakistan because it does not want the issues between the PCB and the BCCI to damage the World Cup, which is set to be held in October-November.

The PCB’s point of you may be shared by Barclay and Allardice with the BCCI officials too, in an attempt to fast-track the issue towards a conclusion.

It may be mentioned here that the PCB had also expressed its reservations over the proposed revenue sharing model of the ICC, under which the board will receive a minor share of just 5.75 per cent.

As a major chunk of the ICC revenue comes through India-Pakistan matches in the global tournaments, the small size of the share is concerning for the PCB given India is set to bag 38.5 per cent of the earnings. The ICC officials also heard the point of view of the PCB over the revenue sharing model.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2023