ACC meeting regarding Asia Cup to be held later this month

LAHORE: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is reportedly holding a meeting on July 24 regarding the Asia Cup, Indian media reported on Thursday.

The meeting is currently scheduled to be held in Dhaka, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has requested a change in venue due to the current political situation in Bangladesh. If the meeting is unable to be shifted, the BCCI may refuse to attend according to media reports.

As for the Asia Cup itself, the BCCI is waiting for instruction from the Indian government regarding the defending champion’s participation. Their inclusion in the tournament was put in question due to the recent conflict with Pakistan.

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If it is decided that India will not compete in this year’s iteration of the ACC tournament, they may compete in a tri-nation series instead. Sri Lanka has reportedly offered to play a bilateral series if the tournament is postponed.

While the tournament was originally scheduled to be hosted by India, due to the aforementioned conflict, three venues in the UAE are being discussed as potential alternatives including, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

Last week, Indian media reports claimed that the tournament would kick off on September 5, and end on September 21, with the marquee matchup between Pakistan and India reportedly set for September 7.

This year’s tournament will be in the T20 format, and will feature eight teams, including the likely hosts UAE, the five permanent members, and Oman and Hong Kong.  

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