Asian Cricket Council officially postpones Asia Cup 2021 to 2023
It is now officially confirmed that the 2021 edition of the Asia Cup stands cancelled in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was scheduled to be hosted in June 2021 in Sri Lanka, however, the authorities decided against it as there was an alarming upsurge in the number of positive coronavirus cases in the Island nation.
In addition, there was no suitable window to host Asia Cup in 2021. India finished at the top of the points table in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship and will, therefore, face New Zealand in the final from June 18 to June 22 at the Ageas Bowl. With India not available, the Asia Cup couldn’t be hosted in June and after that, all the teams have their international schedule packed.
The ACC Executive Board after careful evaluation has made the decision to postpone the 2021 edition of the Asia Cup to 2023.
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This is not the first time that the tournament has been suspended. Asia Cup was last played in 2018 and the Asian Cricket Council was planning to host the summit league in 2020. However, the tournament was postponed for an indefinite time due to the havoc caused by COVID-19.
With the 2021 edition also suspended, the authorities have decided to reschedule the league to 2023 as there is already an Asia Cup in 2022. It is further learned that Pakistan will have the right to host the 2022 edition of the tournament while Sri Lanka is likely to host the 2023 edition.
ACC releases an official statement on Asia Cup
The Asian Cricket Council released an official statement to announce the rescheduling of the Asia Cup from 2021 to 2023.
The press release read, “The ACC Executive Board, in face of the risks and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, had made the difficult decision to postpone the Asia Cup 2020 to 2021. Since then, the ACC has been working with its participants and stakeholders to try and ensure that the event is held in the year.
“However, on account of a packed FTP, it has been concluded that there is no practical window in the year when all the teams would be available to participate. The Board has accordingly considered the matter very carefully and determined that the only way ahead would be to postpone the event.
“It would therefore only be feasible for this edition of the tournament to be held in 2023 as there is already an Asia Cup in 2022. Dates for the same will be confirmed in due course.”
