The Asia Cup 2023, a continental cricket tournament, got off to a strong start for Pakistan on Wednesday when they thrashed Nepal in the opening game at Multan Cricket Stadium.
The official jerseys of the teams, which did not feature the name of the host nation, sparked further controversy during the event.
Prior to the competition, all of the competing teams unveiled their jerseys for the Asia Cup, but one curious aspect that the spectators noted was the omission of the name of the tournament's host nation, Pakistan, under the emblem.
Fans voiced worry over the absence of Pakistan's name on the shirts, which created a discussion.
It should be mentioned that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are sharing hosting duties this year due to India's worries about travelling to the opposing nation.
The Asia Cup last year was held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the political and economic unrest in the host nation, but the supporters recalled that Sri Lanka's name was printed on the team uniforms.
The cause of the exception has now been disclosed by sources connected to the relevant authorities.
They said that during the tournament's 15th edition in the UAE last year, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which annually hosts the Asia Cup, chose without including the name of the host nation and the current year on the shirt.
Because some of the jerseys for the Asia Cup 2022 had Sri Lanka written on them and others merely had the year, ACC was concerned about the uniformity of the uniforms.
The ACC made the decision to omit both the name of the host nation and the tournament's year in order to bring uniformity to the jerseys and ensure that they are seen by more people, according to the sources.
They said that the only thing on this year's Asia Cup jerseys was the emblem for the competition.
Facebook Conversations
Disqus Conversations