In a big development regarding the cricket in the subcontinent, the Asia Cup 2018 has been moved to the United Arab Emirates which was originally scheduled in India. The dates of the tournament will be September 13 to September 28. The matches between the Asian nations will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The political tension between India and Pakistan have been the major reason behind this development. The stand-off between the countries caused a lot of debate and arguments regarding the venues of the upcoming tournaments in Asia. India’s decision to not play in Pakistan was likely to be reciprocated by Pakistan not participating in the Asia Cup.
The recent meeting at Malaysia finally gave away to the solution. “The ACC deliberated on the matter and decided that this was the best way forward,” Asian Cricket Council and PCB chairman Najam Sethi told ESPNcricinfo.”All decisions were unanimous. All participants agreed to support the return of international cricket to Pakistan subject to certain constraints. That’s why the ACC Annual General Meeting will be held in Lahore and the BCCI has pledged to participate in it like all other ACC members. That’s why a number of matches of the Emerging Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan.“
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The Asia Cup is a bi-annual tournament that goes back a long way. After the t20 variant last time, this edition will be a 50-overs competition between the Full Members India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and a sixth team. The sixth team will be decided by a playoff that includes UAE, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and Oman. India will still be the official host, and it will be paying for using the stadium facilities.The Emirates Cricket Board is renting out the stadiums.
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The 2018 Emerging Teams’ Asia Cup, meanwhile, will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament was scheduled to take place in this month but now it has been postponed to December. Pakistan will also host the next ACC Annual General Meeting, which will be held later this year.
