Sports Report
BAHRAIN: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Saturday agreed in principle to hold the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue.
This was decided during a meeting of its executive board in Bahrain on Saturday.
A formal readout of the critical decisions taken during the board meeting stated that the ACC had constructive talks on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
“The AAC executive board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines, and any other specifics to ensure the tournament’s success.”
“An update on the issue would be taken on the next ACC executive board meeting in March 2023,” it said, suggesting that a final decision on the venue is likely to be taken next month.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is among the favorite neutral venues for the tournament.
Pakistan protested holding Asia Cup in India
The tournament was scheduled to be held in Pakistan later this year. But earlier this year, the ACCC decided to shift it to India. Pakistan strongly protested the move.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi traveled to Bahrain to present Pakistan’s case and oppose the unilateral decision to shift the venue to India.
But with Pakistan unlikely to visit India for the tournament and India unwilling to travel to Pakistan for the tournament – which motivated the unilateral move, it was suggested that the venue be moved to a location acceptable to Islamabad and New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the executive board has approved the inclusion of teams from Japan (the Japan Cricket Association) and Indonesia (Persutan Cricket Indonesia).
They will be included in the ACC pathway tournaments to take part in the events as invitees.
Further, the ACC board approved the operational budget for the years 2023 and 2024 and distributions from Asia Cup 2022.
