Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf shared that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah not only accepted his invitation but also promised to attend Asia Cup's opener in Pakistan.
In an interview with a local cricket website, Ashraf said he had a very interactive one-on-one session with Shah on the sidelines of the ICC meeting last month in South Africa.
"I met Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ICC meeting and we had a very useful interaction. I invited him to Asia Cup's opener in Pakistan. He not only accepted but promised to come to Pakistan to watch the opening match. In return, he invited me to India during World Cup and I also agreed," he shared.
"After the news came in the media, people behind him [Jay Shah] reacted and then he refused to have any intentions to travel to Pakistan due to pressure," he revealed.
According to Indian media, Shah refused to have such talks with Ashraf. "I have not agreed to anything. This is just plain miscommunication. Probably done deliberately or mischievously. I’ll not be making any visit," the BCCI secretary told News18 CricketNext.
Even after Shah's U-turn, Ashraf is hopeful for better cricket relations between Pakistan and India. "We are ok if they don't want to sit and talk right now. Maybe later on, we will have a talk on this matter because we want to have good cricketing relations with all the members. We want to play cricket with everyone," he reiterated.
To a query, Ashraf also addressed Shah's deliberate announcement of the Asia Cup's schedule before PCB.
"It didn't affect us at all. There was maybe some misunderstanding. We are more than happy to be hosting this event. We did a ceremony to reveal the schedule and unveil the trophy and our event went successful," he concluded.