BENGALURU: As Sri Lanka continues to reel under financial and civil unrest, the 15th edition of the Asia Cup could be moved out of the Island country. According to sources, the six-team tournament is expected to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The discussion between the board members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has begun to change the venue and an official announcement will be made soon. The Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) is being kept in the loop about all the developments.
Though Sri Lanka hosted the series against Australia recently, the political situation deteriorated significantly after the President fled the country. Many parts of the Island nation are witnessing violent protests.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has thrown their weight behind Sri Lanka amid the ongoing crisis.
“Our first preference is to support Sri Lanka and play the Asia Cup there. If this tournament does not take place in Sri Lanka, it will be a huge cricketing and financial loss for them. Australia’s recent tour of Sri Lanka went off without any problems,” PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain stated.
“Similarly, there have been no issues with the ongoing Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka as we are constantly in touch with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and our embassy in the country. Our discussions with the ACC representatives have suggested that the tournament is on track at the moment as they are monitoring the situation very carefully and we will support their decision,” he added.
The ACC president Jay Shah is closely monitoring the proceedings and can soon make an announcement.
There will be 6 Asian teams participating in the tournament. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have already qualified. One team from Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore and UAE will qualify and join the rest of the teams in the main round. The 16-day tournament will be held between August 26 to September 11.