The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has recently confirmed that Pakistan will be hosting the next edition of the Asia Cup which will be played in the year 2020. The 2018 edition of the tournament was played in the UAE and was won by the hosts India. Pakistan had failed to make it to the finals of the tournament.

On Thursday, the members of ACC had a meeting and soon after that they confirmed Pakistan as the hosts of the tournament in 2020, it remains to be seen how the other teams welcome the decision. The lack of international cricketing action on the Pakistani soil over the last decade or so is a known issue to all.

While Sri Lanka has toured Pakistan in recent times, the other sides like India and Bangladesh preferred not to visit the country to play cricket. Interestingly, the committee wanted to have India as the hosts of the tournament. However, the plans did not roll out well enough due to India’s inability to host the Pakistani side due to the ongoing political tensions between the two nations. On the other hand, Pakistan does not mind hosting India. But the Indian side has been refusing to play on the Pakistani soil due to security reasons.

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However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is visibly unhappy with Pakistan being chosen as the host nation for the Asia Cup 2020. The premier tournament that features the top Asian teams is played once in every two years. India, the defending champions, had won the title in the UAE this year.

Now, with the venue being decided for the 2020 edition of the Asia Cup, the BCCI has reportedly requested the PCB to change the venue for the tournament. If the PCB acknowledges India’s request, the fans might get to see another Asia Cup edition being played in the UAE.

The recent reports in Times of India also suggest that earlier, BCCI didn’t send its representative for the ACC’s AGM in Lahore due to “security concerns” and existing political tension between neighboring nations. While the BCCI not ready to consider Pakistan as a safe option, the PCB is trying their best to convince the Asian sides that it is totally safe to play on the Pakistani soil.

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Ever since the infamous attack on the Sri Lankan team in the year 2009, the international teams have avoided traveling to the Pakistani soil for cricketing action. The cities like Karachi and Lahore have successfully hosted quite a few international matches in the last two years.

However, the point to note here is that the higher ranked sides still have their reservations about touring the country. Only Windies, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka have toured Pakistan in the recent times among the Test playing nations. The PCB is trying their best to resurface the sport on the home soil.