KARACHI: Asia Cup in Sri Lanka: Lankans are ready to host, an event likely to start on August 27.
Sri Lanka’s eyes lit up at the sight of dollars coming from the Asia Cup, with matches likely to be played from August 27 to September 11 in Colombo and Kandy.
The Sri Lankan board has received the green signal from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to host the event. Due to the T20 World Cup, this year’s Asia Cup will be played in T20 style.
According to the report, the qualifying rounds of the Asia Cup will start on August 21, where teams from Nepal, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Hong Kong will compete against each other.
Asia Cup in Sri Lanka:
Event hosts Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh have already qualified.
According to reports, Pak-India teams will face each other in the Asia Cup on August 28 before the T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, the Sri Lankan board is confident of holding the tournament in a dignified manner despite the economic crisis. Due to the economic crisis in the country, fuel shortage, and other issues, some Asian countries had reservations about holding the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
“We have made a final decision to hold the mega event in our own country as per the schedule,” said SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva.
“We are successfully implementing all our plans. The Australian team is already in Sri Lanka and has done well in the T20 and ODI series. Now the second Test is about to be played,” said Ashley de Silva.
According to experts, hosting two or more teams in the current situation is no less of a challenge for the Sri Lankan board, de Silva admits.
“I know it will be very difficult, but both the Minister of Sports and the Minister of Tourism have assured us of the peaceful conduct of the tournament and full support,” said Ashley de Silva.
