The current economic instability in Sri Lanka has forced the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to consider multiple options including changes in the schedule of the upcoming Asia Cup and it is expected that the event will start in early September now.
Earlier last month, ACC had announced August 28 as the opening day of the event in its General Council meeting but now the opening is likely to be changed.
According to the details, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and one of the qualifiers will be participating in the event that could start on September 1 or 2 while the final match of the tournament will be held on September 15.
ACC also faces challenges regarding the host country. The first option is to keep Sri Lanka’s hosting rights but move the venue to the United Arab Emirates. The discussion on a change in venue is still under consideration and there is no final word regarding this.
The interesting part is that Australian cricketers will be visiting the island soon, and if that tour goes on without any issues, Sri Lanka will make a strong statement regarding its hosting abilities.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan, which was supposed to host the Asia Cup in 2022, now has the hosting rights for the 2023 event. Aside from the top five cricket-playing Asian countries, a qualifier will also feature in the Asia Cup.