Asia Cup: BCB and SLC Come in Support of BCCI

The latest edition of the Asia Cup is a couple of months away and there is no clarity on the venue yet. In a recent development on the Asia Cup spat, India has now received the support of Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka over the stand of not visiting Pakistan. This will now put additional pressure on Pakistan to take a stand soon. So far PCB has been adamant on hosting the tournament and has proposed a hybrid model for India.

Although the BCCI has received backing from other ACC members, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues to express interest in hosting the Asia Cup at home. Currently, however, it appears to be a formality. Last year, owing to political unrest, the Asia Cup was moved from Sri Lanka to UAE. However, now, with the better conditions, Sri Lanka comes up as a neutral venue to host Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka likely to host Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan is yet to open up on its participation. Earlier, Najaf Sethi had said, “In case, India refuses to travel to Pakistan to compete in the Asia Cup, chances are there that the Pakistan government would not allow the Men in Green to cross the borders for their World Cup participation. In that case, cricket will be the ultimate sufferer. There should be a middle way to solve problems that surely threaten the smooth hosting of ICC and ACC events. In case, India refuses to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, the government will not allow us to travel to India to figure in the World Cup matches.”

While UAE was considered to be the leading venue for Asia Cup with its past experience, owing to extreme heat, it has been put on hold. Oman reportedly offered to host the event during a recent informal gathering of ACC members, but considering the circumstances, Sri Lanka has been deemed the ideal location. An official statement will be available at the end of the month. The current year’s tournament will be held in a 50-over format. In case of Pakistan not winning to participate in the competition, BCCI has already proposed a 5-nation tournament idea. However, this will then complicate the matter for the ODI World Cup.