ACC decides to shift T20 Asia Cup to UAE

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has finally decided to shift the eagerly awaited T20 Asia Cup to the UAE after completing the consultation process with the member countries.

The event will get underway on August 17 with the final to be played on September 11. “Majority of the ACC countries have agreed to shift the venue to UAE. The Sri Lanka Board showed interest to host the event following an early reluctance. The ACC member countries have now decided to go ahead with the Asia Cup in the UAE,” an official said.

“Considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to the UAE after extensive deliberations,” the ACC in a handout says.

The ACC is mindful of the passionate Sri Lankan fans, hence the final decision to change the venue has been very difficult but has been the one that was deemed necessary. However, the thoughts of all the ACC members remain in solidarity with the cricket-loving nation of Sri Lanka.

The ACC remains committed to supporting the game of cricket as well as its fans and is deeply thankful to the SLC which made unwavering efforts to ensure that the tournament continues as scheduled.

ACC President Jay Shah said: “Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights. This edition of the Asia Cup is extremely important as it will help Asian nations prepare for the ICC World Cup, and I thank the SLC and the Emirates Cricket Board for their understanding and cooperation.”

Shammi Silva, president of the SLC, said: “We were really looking forward to hosting our Asian neighbours in Sri Lanka for the much-anticipated Asia Cup.