Bangladesh front-runner to host Asia Cup as Sri Lanka crisis worsens

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has emerged as the preferred alternative to host the impending Asia Cup, which was slated to be played between August 27 and September 11 in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka are currently struggling with the rise in violence due to the lack of food supply and the heavy inflationary environment caused by the deep economic crisis, the Prime Minister has urged the people in the Emerald Isle to prepare for their “worst-ever two months in their lives”.

The geopolitical tension between India and Pakistan means neither country is an option to host the T20 event, making UAE and Oman the alternative. However, the severe heatwave in the Middle East has rendered it impossible to play matches there. 

Cricket.com understands that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) find Bangladesh the perfect place to host the tournament but no concrete decision has been made yet. The ACC is mulling that alternative despite the Sri Lanka Cricket officials making their best efforts to convince ACC President Jay Shah to keep the tournament in the Island nation.

“Bangladesh is just an option at the moment and the ACC is observing the Sri Lanka situation before coming to a final decision. UAE is definitely not an option to host matches in late August and early September,” an official in the know of things told Cricket.com.

Cricket Australia are also taking stocks of the situation before taking a final call on their scheduled tour of Sri Lanka, comprising three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches. Australian players, partaking in the IPL, are to travel directly to Sri Lanka before the first T20I of the series kick starts on June 8. Earlier Cricket Australia strongly threw their weight behind the tour, despite the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) asking the countrymen to reconsider their plans of touring Sri Lanka. Now that a lot of water has flown under the bridge, they are also in a dilemma of sorts.