A new war of words has gained momentum between Jay Shah-headed Asian Cricket Council and Pakistani Cricket Board Chairman Najam Sethi over the release of a new cricketing calendar for 2023-24.
This was after Sethi publicly criticised Shah for unilaterally releasing the new calendar without consulting the member countries including Pakistan, which is hosting this year’s Asia Cup.
Releasing the calendar, Shah had tweeted, “Presenting the @ACCMedia1 pathway structure & cricket calendars for 2023 & 2024! This signals our unparalleled efforts & passion to take this game to new heights. With cricketers across countries gearing up for spectacular performances, it promises to be a good time for cricket!”
Presenting the @ACCMedia1 pathway structure & cricket calendars for 2023 & 2024! This signals our unparalleled efforts & passion to take this game to new heights. With cricketers across countries gearing up for spectacular performances, it promises to be a good time for cricket! pic.twitter.com/atzBO4XjIn
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 5, 2023
Reacting to Shah’s tweet, PCB Chairman Sethi wrote on the microblogging site, “Thank you @JayShah for unilaterally presenting @ACCMedia1 structure & calendars 2023-24 especially relating to Asia Cup 2023 for which 🇵🇰 is the event host. While you are at it, you might as well present structure & calendar of our PSL 2023! A swift response will be appreciated.”
Thank you @JayShah for unilaterally presenting @ACCMedia1 structure & calendars 2023-24 especially relating to Asia Cup 2023 for which 🇵🇰 is the event host. While you are at it, you might as well present structure & calendar of our PSL 2023! A swift response will be appreciated. https://t.co/UdW2GekAfR
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) January 5, 2023
Sethi’s public outbursts against Shah did not go down well with the ACC, which is headed by Shah himself. In a statement, the ACC said, “The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Thursday announced the ACC Calendar 2023-24 and the pathway structure.
“It has come to our knowledge that PCB Chairman Mr. Najam Sethi has made a comment on the ACC President unilaterally taking the decision on finalising the calendar and announcing the same. The ACC wants to clarify that it has followed established due process. The calendar was approved by its Development Committee and Finance & Marketing Committee in a meeting held on December 13th, 2022.
“The calendar was then communicated to all the participating members individually, including Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), via an email dated December 22nd, 2022. While responses were received from certain Member Boards, no comments or suggested modifications were received from PCB.
“In view of the above, Mr. Sethi’s comments on a social media platform are baseless and are vehemently denied by the ACC.”
