The Asia Cup 2022 has officially been shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) owing to the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka, confirmed the Asian Cricket Council on Wednesday, 27 July. Teh announcement is on the expected line as the Asia Cup was expected to be moved out of Sri Lanka. Still, to Sri Lanka Cricket’s good luck, the country has managed to retain the rights for the tournament, much like how India was the official host for the T20 World Cup in the UAE amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
The press note from the ACC thanked the efforts of the SLC administration for not having any effect on the schedule of the tournament. The much-awaited tournament is scheduled to be commencing on 27 August and run till 11 September. Speaking about the tournament, ACC president Jay Shah said that every effort was made to keep the competition in Sri Lanka.
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In the press note, Jay Shah said, “Every effort was made to host Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights. This edition of the Asia Cup is extremely important as it will help Asian nations prepare for the ICC World Cup, and I thank SLC and the Emirates Cricket Board for their understanding and co-operation.”
“We were really looking forward to hosting our Asian neighbours in Sri Lanka for the much-anticipated Asia Cup. While I fully stand by the ACC’s decision to shift the Asia Cup to UAE considering the current context and the magnitude of the event, Sri Lanka Cricket will work closely with the ACC and Emirates Cricket Board to ensure that we still have an exciting edition of the Asia Cup,” Sri Lanka Cricket chief Shammi Silva said.
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“The Emirates Cricket Board takes great pride in UAE being named the new venue for the Asia Cup. The ECB is always ready to help fellow Member Boards and the ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket have our full support. We have the required infrastructure in place and look forward to welcoming the teams to the UAE,” said Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni.
