ACC to take decision on Asia Cup venue in March 2023

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) held an executive board meeting in Bahrain on Saturday, with a decision on this year’s Asia Cup hosting rights as the main agenda of the meeting. However, the meeting did not come to fruition, failing to reach a breakthrough on the matter with the topic postponed until the next ACC executive board meeting to be held in March 2023.

The Asia Cup 2023 has been clouded by uncertainty ever since ACC president, and BCCI secretary, Jay Shah rattled the PCB, stating that the continental tournament will be held at a neutral venue in October last year. The two boards have been entangled in a war of words since then with former PCB chief Ramiz Raja threatening to pull out of this year’s 50-over World Cup in India.

The ACC’s latest meeting, which was held at the behest of PCB chief Najam Sethi, proved to be inconclusive and the board will come to a decision regarding the Asia Cup 2023 venue in a month’s time. During the meeting, the board decided to include teams from Japan (Japan Cricket Association and Indonesia (Persutan Cricket Indonesia) in the ACC pathway tournaments.

“The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensure the success of the tournament. An update on the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board Meeting to be held in March 2023,” the ACC statement read.

The Asia Cup 2023 might be shifted to UAE: Reports

Several media reports are indicating that the venue is likely to be moved out from Pakistan since the Indian board is not in favor of sending their players to the neighboring country amidst tension between the two countries. According to an anonymous BCCI official the tournament cannot afford to lose high-profile players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill, making UAE a probable candidate to host this year’s continental tournament.