Asian Cricket Council working to reschedule Asia Cup in June 2021
Asia Cup was set to be held in UAE before PCB agreed to let Sri Lanka host tournament
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is working on a new date for the Asia Cup T20 tournament after its postponement was confirmed on Thursday, with June 2021 the preferred window.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday confirmed that the Asia Cup had been cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Asia Cup has been cancelled,” Ganguly said during an Instagram chat with Vikrant Gupta.
The tournament, which had been scheduled for September and hosted by Pakistan in a neutral venue, is the latest sporting event to have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Asia Cup was set to be held in the UAE before the PCB agreed to let the Sri Lankan cricket board host the tournament.
“Travel restrictions, country-specific quarantine requirements, fundamental health risks and social distancing mandates have posed as substantial challenges to holding the Asia Cup,” the Asian Cricket Council said in a statement.
“Above all, the risks related to health and safety of participating players, support staff and commercial partners, fans and the cricketing community were deemed to be significant.”
The ACC added: “Conducting the event in a responsible manner remains the priority of the ACC and the Board is hopeful that the tournament will be held in 2021.
“The ACC is currently working towards securing June 2021 as a suitable window for the same.”
The International Cricket Council is also expected to soon decide on the future of the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October-November in Australia.