According to multiple reports, the 2022 Asia Cup is set to be played in Sharjah and Dubai in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. Sri Lanka will remain the hosts of the competition. The Asian Cricket Council has taken the decision due to concerns over a shortage of fuel in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka successfully hosted Australia in a multi-format tour recently and are currently hosting Pakistan. However, the economic collapse in the country has made it almost impossible to host a multi-nation tournament.
Despite the situation, Sri Lanka Cricket were confident of hosting the tournament despite the country going through its worst crisis, with a shortage of food, fuel, power outages and protests. Demonstrations have not affected cricket in the country in any way, with Australia finishing three T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests recently. Pakistan are currently on a two-Test tour of the island.
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The 2022 Asia Cup will have as many as nine teams this time and will be played in the T20 format. On July 17, the SLC chief executive officer Ashley de Silva stated that hosting a bilateral series is much different from a multi-nation tournament.
“Hosting two teams is not the same as hosting ten teams. You have to provide ten buses with fuel for all of them. You have to give every team a luggage van with fuel, and transport for the managers.
You also have to give the sponsors transport and ensure that they are getting the mileage that they want from their sponsorship. The fuel for the generators to run the floodlights will also have to be found,”
he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
The ACC is expected to announce the schedule for the Asia Cup 2022 on July 22. There are likely to be two matches between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the league phase. De Silva said thousands of people from both countries would want to travel and watch those games, but they might not be happy to travel to Sri Lanka because of the situation.
