Asia Cup in limbo amid Indo-Pak ongoing rift

This year’s Asia Cup hangs in the balance following the recent clashes between tournament hosts India and arch-rivals Pakistan.

Already-soured relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours further worsened after four days of intense fighting before a ceasefire was announced last month.

India are scheduled to host the Asia Cup, a flagship event of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in September but uncertainty lingers over the T20 tournament.

“To be honest, we have had no discussions within the board about the Asia Cup,” a top official of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) told Reuters on Tuesday, refusing to confirm whether the tournament will go ahead as scheduled.

“We have been busy with the Indian Premier League and then we have India’s tour of England. These are our immediate concerns,” he added.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was not forthcoming about its team’s participation in the tournament in India either.

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” the PCB told Reuters in a statement.

ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the PCB, was not available to comment.

The ACC on Monday announced the postponement of the women’s Emerging Asia Cup, which was due to begin on Friday, citing weather conditions and the spread of the viral disease chikungunya in host nation Sri Lanka.

Pakistan to play in Lanka at India-hosted Women’s World Cup: India will host the women’s 50-overs World this year but Pakistan will play their matches in Sri Lanka under an International Cricket Council deal that allows them to avoid playing in host nation.

Sri Lanka’s Colombo will join Indian host cities Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam in staging matches from September 30 until the final of the 50-over tournament on November 2, the ICC announced late on Monday. Colombo will be Pakistan’s home for seven group games.

The first semi-final will take place in either Guwahati or Colombo, if Pakistan progress that far, on October 29 with the second semi-final a day later in Bengaluru.

The final will be in either Bengaluru or Colombo on Sunday, November 2.

“The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying”, the ICC said in a statement.

“Two alternative venues have been identified for one semi-final and the final.”

Eight teams will contest the Women’s World Cup — Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Australia beat England by 71 runs in the final of the last Women’s World Cup, hosted by New Zealand in 2022.

India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy this year and played all their matches, including the March 9 final, in Dubai.

India’s refusal led the ICC to implement the use of neutral venues for tournaments hosted by either of the two neighbouring countries.

Bilateral cricket has been suspended since 2013 between the Asian neighbours, who play each other only in multi-team events.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir is against playing Pakistan even in neutral venues but will follow whatever the BCCI decided, he said last month.

Agencies