Asia Cup T20 fate up in the air after ACC meeting postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

With cricket across the world suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic, it is now the turn of the ACC meeting to finalise the Asia Cup T20 venues to take a hit. The meeting has been postponed, further putting the tournament itself in doubt.

Although PCB are to host the tournament, India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan meant that the event is expected to be moved to the UAE. BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly, has made it clear that India would not travel to Pakistan for the tournament under circumstances but would have no problem with them hosting it at a neutral venue.

PCB are considering requesting the ACC Executive Council to let them host some matches against the other nations at home even if the tournament is to be hosted elsewhere.

India and Pakistan have faced off in bilateral events only once since the 2008 terror attacks and that came in 2012, in India. Apart from that, the two sides have played in multi-nation tournaments like the ICC World Cup and Champions Trophy.

Also see – CSK squad

The BCCI has always maintained that the team will travel to Pakistan only on the advise of the Indian government.

"The decision to play in Pakistan will be completely be the government's call. The Board will follow whatever decision the centre takes. We believe that just like we hosted the tournament last year in the UAE, Pakistan should also ideally organise it at a neutral venue,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying during the ACC meeting in Singapore last year.

Sri Lanka ended Pakistan’s home isolation in Test matches by playing two matches in Karachi and Rawalpindi last year. Pakistan had not hosted any international matches from March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by a terrorist group till 2015, when Zimbabwe toured the country to break the ice.

Edited by Namitha H N