Dubai, May 8: In a major setback to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Monday decided to move the Asia Cup out of Pakistan after India’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan due to diplomatic tensions.
The PCB’s proposal to host the prestigious tournament on a ‘hybrid model’ was also rejected by the ACC member nations, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Pakistan had earned hosting rights of Asia Cup scheduled to begin in September this year. As an alternative, Sri Lanka has emerged as a front runner to host the six-nation tournament.
The idea to hold Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates did not have much takers as it gets very humid there in September. It was feared that humidity could lead to injuries to players ahead of the World Cup in October the same year.
It remains to be seen what PCB will do now, will it boycott the Asia Cup or agree to travel to Sri Lanka after losing hosting rights due to India’s objection.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from September 2-17.
