Would be pleased if Asia Cup is moved to Sri Lanka : R Ashwin

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) delayed making a formal announcement regarding the venue for the forthcoming edition of the Asia Cup. On Saturday in Bahrain, all heads of ACC member nations, including BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB chairman Najam Sethi, attended a council meeting that was arranged at the request of  PCB chairman Sethi.

While a decision regarding the potential shift of venue has been postponed till March, PTI reports that UAE will, in all likelihood, host the competition. However, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes it would be better if the tournament could be shifted to Sri Lanka. 

"Asia Cup was supposed to take place in Pakistan. But India has announced that if it takes place in Pakistan, then we won't be participating. If you want us to participate, then do change the venue. But we would have seen this happen many times, right? When we say Asia Cup won't go to their place, they will say that they will also not come to our place,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“However, I think that is not possible,” Ashwin said.

“The final call might be that the Asia Cup might be moved to Sri Lanka. This is important in lead-up to the 50-over World Cup. Many tournaments have taken place in Dubai. I would also be pleased if it is moved to Sri Lanka,” he said.

In October last year, Shah had said that Team India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and the tournament will be ‘held at some neutral venue’. The chairman of ACC, Shah had also released the itinerary of the continental body and the venue of Asia Cup wasn’t mentioned.

The PCB then accused Shah of taking a ‘unilateral decision’, and former PCB chairman threatened that Pakistan would pull out of the 2023 World Cup in India should India refuse to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.