The Asia Cup is set to begin on the 27th of August, 2022 until the 11th of September 2022. Officially the location has been shifted from Sri Lanka to UAE for this season although it will be hosted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The Island nation has been facing an economic and political crisis. Massive protests have been led and in the second Test match against Australia, the protestors invaded the stadium making a very sensitive situation out of it. For this reason, SLC thought of shifting the venue to UAE which will allow the smooth conduct of the tournament and guarantee the safety of the players.
The Asian Cricket Council read that “Considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC, after extensive deliberation, has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to UAE. ”
Further, SLC’s president Shammi said “We were really looking forward to hosting our Asian neighbours in Sri Lanka for the much-anticipated Asia Cup. While I fully stand by the ACC’s decision to shift the Asia Cup to UAE, considering the current context and magnitude of the event, Sri Lanka cricket will work closely with the ACC and the Emirates Cricket Board to ensure that we still have an exciting edition of the Asia Cup.”
Sri Lanka at this moment is playing a Test series with Pakistan and had hosted Australia for the multi-format assignment. Sri Lanka’s president fled and soon a new president was elected that transformed certain elements majorly. However, the nation is not doing good as the protests against the political elite has affected the nation on a larger note.
Which teams are going to be part of the Asia Cup?
The Asia Cup will have the T20 format with six teams competing against each other. India has won the last two seasons of the tournament, 2016 and 2018. India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh are on board for the tournament however the sixth team is to be added.
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