The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has given a deadline to Sri Lankan Cricket Board regarding their decision to host the 2022 Asia Cup. Sri Lanka Cricket was given the hosting rights of the upcoming tournament but the recent economic and political instability in the country has jeopardized the tournament.
According to sources, the ACC has requested the Sri Lankan cricket board to provide them with an answer until 27 July. Sources further revealed that the Sri Lankan board is adamant that the tournament will go ahead as scheduled and the country will be ready to host top cricketing nations from Asia.
It is understood that if Sri Lanka is unable to host, the tournament will likely be shifted to the United Arab Emirates, the venue for the previous edition of the competition.
The upcoming edition of the tournament was initially scheduled to be played in 2020 but faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the ACC finally confirmed that the 2022 Asia Cup will commence on 27 August while the final will be played on 11 September in Sri Lanka.
The tournament will be held in a T20I format and six teams from Asia including, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and one qualifier will take part in the tournament. According to the initial schedule, the qualifier will be played between Kuwait and UAE on 20 August.