If the Asian Cricket Council chooses to award the title to the island nation, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced it is ready to host the event on Monday, May 29. The claim is made just days before the ACC summit, where a decision about the six-nation continental championship is anticipated.
In a pinch, the SLC is ready to host the Asia Cup. The informal discussions over the disputed event resulted in an agreement that there should only be one location for the event, which now falls to the ACC, a top SLC official informed Cricbuzz on Monday.
The BCCI continues to reject the hybrid model put out by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in which matches are held in both Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
A BCCI source responded to the talks by saying, “Colombo or nothing,” and cited logistical difficulties as the cause of its objection. The SLC source also stated, “We will use the BCCI. In the upcoming days, the ACC is anticipated to hold a formal meeting.
It is clearly obvious that the PCB, despite being the designated host, is having trouble garnering support for its proposal and is beginning to feel very alone in the ACC. The BCCI is supported by the SLC, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), whose leaders are in India for the IPL final.
They are all ACC members who participate in Test matches. In Ahmedabad, where informal discussions have been taking place over the past few days, non-Test members like the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) are also there.
It is unclear what the PCB’s stance would be, but its head Najam Sethi previously stated that Pakistan would not participate if it was not permitted to host a few games in his nation. Although the standoff is still going on, it is obvious that the PCB position has been severely compromised.
Pakistan visit by ICC Leaders
ICC CEO Geoff Allardice and Chairman Greg Barclay will make a two-day trip to Lahore in the meanwhile. They will meet with PCB representatives during the tour, and it is expected that they will chat about the locations for the ODI World Cup, whose schedule will be released in the coming days.
The BCCI is unwilling to change the location of the important match against India, despite the PCB’s recent statements to the contrary, according to Cricbuzz. According to the ICC, not much should be inferred from the visit. Since Ray Mali’s trip there in 2008, Barclay will be the first ICC chairman to visit Pakistan.