Sethi said in an interview with the BBC: The first question is, do you accept the hybrid model in principle? That we play some matches in Pakistan and most others on neutral territory. The second question is that if you accept it, whether we play in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE or England, that would be up to the host country. We are the hosts. So we’re willing to have that discussion about where the neutral venue will be.

In response, Cricket Pakistan reported that Butt said: A neutral venue like this [England] is not suitable for the Asian Cup, it doesn’t make sense because it would mean that there is no place in Asia where it could be held.

You could include England and make it a Euro-Asian Cup. You could also make that suggestion. There has been an Australia-Asia Cup in the past that included Australia. You could also include Ireland and the Netherlands. It would be a World Cup-like event in that it would have six teams from Asia and four countries from Europe, so it would be a ten-team tournament. It will be a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, said the former Pakistan opener.

He also added: You can put forward as many ideas as you can, but you also have to see what is practically possible.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express last week, Sethi said: If India now wants to have a neutral seat and adopt a hybrid model, then we will use the same hybrid model in the World Cup. Pakistan can hold its World Cup matches in Dhaka or any other venue that India agrees to, and the same for the Champions Trophy. So all other countries can come and play in Pakistan, but India can play at a neutral venue. So it’s a model that goes forward and resolves this political gridlock.

Networks also reacted to reports that the BCCI is planning to host the India-Pakistan World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. When I heard that the Pakistan match would be held in Ahmedabad, I smiled and said to myself: This is one way to make sure we don’t come to India. If you had said Chennai or Calcutta, it would have made sense, he said.