Asian Cricket Council expected to switch Asia Cup venue to Dubai, as civil unrest in Sri Lanka continues
- Tournament had been expected to be held in Sri Lanka in August, but ACC officials have decided to move it, sources say
- Protests in the country forced Sri Lanka to move the second Test against Pakistan to Galle from the capital Colombo
The Asian Cricket Council plans to move next month’s Asia Cup away from Sri Lanka because of the civil unrest in the country, with Dubai stepping in as hosts.
Sri Lanka’s acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the country, with protests over its economic collapse passing 100 days.
ACC officials met late last week to discuss the situation and are expected to confirm the decision in the next day or so, sources said.
Pressure is understood to have been building to have the tournament moved for some time, and teams have already started to make plans for the switch, with several pre-booking hotels and flights to the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE, along with Hong Kong, Kuwait and Singapore, are taking part in qualifiers ahead of the main tournament, with the winners going on to play against the region’s five full-member teams – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
While Mohan de Silva, the Sri Lanka Cricket secretary, said last week he was “very confident” his country would still host the tournament, the political upheaval has only worsened.
“As far as we are concerned, we are still very confident of hosting the tournament in Sri Lanka,” de Silva said before Friday’s meeting.
