Asia Cup Set To Be Moved From Pakistan To Sri Lanka

Asia Cup: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) plans to shift the tournament from Pakistan, which means Sri Lanka will likely host the 2023 Asia Cup. Since BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced that the Indian team would not cross the border. The decision to move the event from the original host country has always been in the works. By the end of the month, a final decision will be made about the tournament’s location. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka support the choice of the island nation to host the event.

As of the right moment, it’s uncertain whether Pakistan will participate in the competition. Given rumors that it may boycott it. The decision appears to be a formality, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) continued interest in hosting the tournament at home and BCCI’s support from other ACC members. The PCB had proposed a hybrid approach to host the Asia Cup. Wherein India’s matches alone would be staged in Dubai.

BCCI’s Position On Asia Cup 2023

This was done in response to the BCCI’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the event due to a lack of government approval. However, no one has expressed interest in that concept, and the tournament broadcaster has also voiced misgivings about it. The other boards hesitated to play in the Gulf a month before the 50-over World Cup. Because September was the peak summer in the United Arab Emirates.

Even Oman is rumored to have offered to host the event during a recent informal meeting of the ACC members. Still, given the circumstances, Sri Lanka has been chosen as the ideal location. Jay Shah, the Asian Cricket Council, Najam Sethi, the PCB, and The PCB had proposed a hybrid approach to host the Asia Cup, wherein India’s matches alone would be staged in Dubai. This was done in response to the BCCI’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the event due to a lack of government approval.

Venue For Asia Cup 2023

Dubai hosted the 2018 Asia Cup in September, but the players found the surroundings difficult. Hardik Pandya suffered a back injury during that competition. Since teams wanted to use the Asia Cup as a warm-up for the World Cup. Which will start in the first week of October. The UAE has been completely disqualified. The BCCI previously organized the IPL in September (2020). But even those games, played in the second half of the summer, proved challenging for players to handle.

The ACC is expected to make a final choice in the coming weeks because teams are reluctant to risk players in intense heat, and Sri Lanka Cricket has expressed interest in hosting the competition. Dambulla and Pallekele may be locations if Sri Lanka is allowed to host the event because the monsoon season often arrives in Colombo in September.