The Asia Cup T20 is scheduled to be held in September, a month before cricket’s high-profile tournament this year — T20 World Cup, in Dubai.
HIGHLIGHTS
- PCB chief Ehsan Mani conceded uncertainty over Asia Cup T20
- Pakistan have the hosting rights for Asia Cup T20, scheduled for September
- The Covid-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on sporting calendar
With the global sporting calendar having been thrown into disarray due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani on Thursday said there is uncertainty surrounding Asia Cup 2020.
Asia Cup was scheduled to be held in September in the lead up to the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Pakistan have the hosting rights for the continental tournament, which was scheduled to be played in T20 format this year.
“There’s uncertainty over the Asia Cup. Nothing has been decided yet. The whole world is in an uncertain state,” PCB chairman Ehsan Mani was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“You don’t know what it will be like in September. Don’t get me wrong but it will depend on a number of factors.
“Mere speculation won’t help. Maybe the situation will be clearer in a month’s time.”
Several international tours have already been postponed and the fate of one of cricket’s biggest tournaments, the Indian Premier League (IPL) remains uncertain. IPL 2020, which was scheduled to kickstart on March 29, has been suspended due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly confirmed that both India and Pakistan will feature in this year’s Asia Cup. Ganguly also said the tournament will be held in Dubai after confusion prevailed over the host nation of the tournament. The BCCI had said they have no problem with Pakistan hosting the tournament, provided it is held at a neutral venue.
The T20 World Cup organisers earlier this month said they are still looking forward to hosting the high-profile tournament in Australia. The World Cup is scheduled to be played Down Under from October 18 to November 15.
“We’re wanting to give ourselves the best possible chance of going ahead as planned, so there’s no imminent or quick decision,” Nick Hockley, chief executive of the T20 World Cup organising committee, told cricket.com.au.
Source: India Today
