The fate of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 is up in the air, and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is set to meet in Bahrain on February 5 to determine the next steps. The meeting was called at the request of Najam Sethi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management committee.
The main agenda of the meeting will be to decide the location of the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to take place in September ahead of the ODI World Cup in India. According to reports, the tournament is likely to be held in another country other than Pakistan.
The location of the Asia Cup was not included in the ACC chairman’s announcement of the continental body’s schedule in December, which led Sethi to accuse the ACC president of making a “unilateral decision” without involving other boards. This comes after the ACC president publicly stated in October of last year that India would not visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup and that the tournament would be shifted to a neutral venue.
The former head of the PCB, Ramiz Raja, responded by vowing that Pakistan would not travel to India for the 50-over World Cup, which is set to take place in October-November of this year. The T20 Asia Cup 2022 was hosted in the UAE by Sri Lanka Cricket due to political turmoil, and the country has expressed interest in hosting the event again if the tournament is moved out of Pakistan. Additionally, Qatar has also shown interest in hosting the tournament as a neutral venue.
This ACC meeting will provide clarity on the future of the Asia Cup 2023 and help set the stage for the upcoming ODI and World Cup seasons.
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