Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai
Dubai is the favourite to host the Asia Cup this year, with the BCCI being the tournament host, it is learnt. The eight-team event, to be played in a T20 format, was supposed to be played in India. But with Pakistan’s participation, a neutral venue has to be chosen for the matches between the arch-rivals. The BCCI is rather OK with moving the entire tournament to a neutral venue. A formal decision in this regard is expected to be taken in the next Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meetings.
“The BCCI might not be interested in holding a portion of a tournament,” a source in the know told RevSportz. “It would rather prefer to have the entire tournament in a third country. Dubai is the favourite, while Sri Lanka could be the back-up.”
The temperature sometimes can go past 45 degrees Celsius in this part of the world in September. This could be a deterrent. Then again, the 2018 Asia Cup, that was originally slated to be held India, had moved out to the United Arab Emirates and was held from September 13 to 28. Political tension between India and Pakistan had been cited as the reason for the switch. This time also, the tournament will be played in mid-September.
The ongoing Champions Trophy, which is being played in a hybrid model, was scheduled to take place in Pakistan. But the BCCI didn’t get the government’s go-ahead to send the team across the border and India have been playing their matches in Dubai. The lead-up had a lot of boardroom drama, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) remaining steadfast about not accepting a hybrid model before buckling under pressure. The PCB made a demand that all the India-Pakistan matches going ahead have to be played in neutral venues.
The ACC doesn’t want any uncertainty as regards the choice of the venue for the 2025 Asia Cup. Dubai, or Sri Lanka, could be its go to place.