The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced that due to the economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup to be held next month has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates.
According to the news agency Reuters, Sri Lanka will be the host of this nine-team tournament which will be played between August 27 and September 11 and will be helpful in the preparation of this year’s T20 World Cup.
A country of 2.2 million people has been paralyzed by an economic crisis where Sri Lanka is currently facing shortages of fuel, food and other necessities.
Sri Lanka Cricket Board president Shami Silva said he supported the Asian Cricket Council’s decision to move the tournament.
Asian Cricket Council President Jay Shah said in a statement that every possible effort was made to hold the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the United Arab Emirates was taken after much consideration.
He said that the UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will retain the hosting rights, adding that this edition of the Asia Cup is very important as it will help Asian countries prepare for the ICC World Cup.