Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka selected to host Asia Cup, PAK participation unsure

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) plans to move the Asia Cup away from Pakistan and hold it in Sri Lanka instead

The choice to move the occasion from the first host nation was generally on the cards since the second BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that the Indian team wouldn’t traverse the boundary.

A ultimate choice on the scene for the competition is normal before the current month’s over with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan backing the transition to have the occasion in the island country. At this time, Pakistan’s participation in the tournament is unknown, with reports suggesting that it may boycott it.

While Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) keeps on showing interest in keeping the competition at home, with BCCI finding support from other part countries of the ACC, the choice appears to be a custom right now. The PCB had proposed a hybrid model for hosting the Asia Cup, in which only India’s matches would be held in Dubai, following the BCCI’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the tournament due to a lack of government approval.

In any case, that proposition has gotten no takers with the competition telecaster likewise communicating worries over it. Besides, with September being top summer in the United Arab Emirates, different sheets had qualms about playing in the Bay locale, a month prior to the 50-over World Cup. It is understood that even Oman offered to host the tournament during a recent informal meeting of the ACC members; however, considering the circumstances, Sri Lanka has been deemed the ideal location.

The conditions were extremely difficult for the players when Dubai hosted the Asia Cup 2018 in September. With the World Cup beginning in the first week of October and teams eager to use the Asia Cup as a kind of preparation, the UAE has been ruled out completely. This was the tournament where Hardik Pandya suffered a back injury. Before, the BCCI facilitated the IPL in September (2020), yet even those matches – held in the last part of the late spring – demonstrated challenging for players to make due.

PAK participation a question mark

With teams not ready to gamble with players in outrageous intensity, and Sri Lanka Cricket communicating interest in facilitating the competition, the ACC is set to show up at final choice soon. On the off chance that Sri Lanka will organize the occasion, Dambulla and Pallekele could be the scenes as Colombo normally witnesses the rainstorm season in September.

In the grand scheme of things, it remains to be seen how it will affect the upcoming World Cup. Reports emerging from Pakistan showed that in the event that the Asia Cup is moved from the country, the PCB may pass on the occasion. Their participation in the World Cup, which India will host in October and November, will also be in doubt if they skip that competition.

The Asia Cup in 2022, which Sri Lanka won, was played in the T20 format because it came before the T20 World Cup in Australia. Depending on the ICC event that comes after, the tournament can be played in either a 20-over or 50-over format. It will be played with 50 overs this time. India defeated Bangladesh in the final in Dubai to win the tournament in its previous 50-over format.

Six teams would compete in the Asia Cup in the event that Pakistan confirms its participation. Nepal, in addition to Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, have qualified for the tournament by winning the ACC Premier Cup.

The tournament is rumoured to take place between September 2 and September 17.