'Does it hurl fire or is it haunted?' - Shahid Afridi lashes out at PCB for their denial to play in Ahmedabad in upcoming ODI World Cup

The 2023 Asia Cup will take place from August 31 to September 17, the Asian Cricket Council confirmed on Thursday. The competition will feature a total of 13 one-day international matches amongst the nations and will feature competition from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The Pakistan Cricket Board and Indian Cricket Board's protracted disagreement has now been resolved. 

The event will be held in a hybrid format, according to the ACC's announcement, with Pakistan hosting four matches and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining nine. However, it is still unknown whether Pakistan will travel to India for the ODI World Cup or not as a few days back PCB said that they will not play in Ahmedabad due to security reasons. Meanwhile, former legendary Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi questioned PCB’s decision to not play in Ahmedabad.

"Why are they declining to play on Ahmedabad pitches? Does it hurl fire or is it haunted? Go and play - go, play, and win. If these are the foreseen challenges, then the only way to overcome them is through a comprehensive victory," Afridi was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports. 

Pull a victory in front of a packed Indian crowd: Shahid Afridi

The legendary allrounder believes that PCB should resolve the issue as soon as possible. He said that if the Indian team is comfortable in playing at Narendra Modi Stadium then Pakistan should also not have any problem and they should go there and defeat India in front of their own crowd.

"What matters at the end of the day is the Pakistan team's win. The crux only and only lies in there. Take this rather positively. If they are comfortable there, you should go, pull a victory in front of a packed Indian crowd and show them what you got," he added.

Coming back to Asia Cup, 2 teams will move on to the Super 4 from each of the groups. The following round will consist of a total of six games in which the Super-4 will be played. The title game will then feature two teams in the semifinal round. There will be a total of 13 matches, including the title match, in the Asia Cup 2023.