The future of this year’s Asia Cup remains precarious following the recent military confrontations between tournament hosts India and their traditional rivals, Pakistan. The already strained relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors deteriorated further after four days of intense fighting, which was brought to a halt by a ceasefire announced last month.
India is slated to host the Asia Cup, a flagship event of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in September, but a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the T20 tournament.
“To be honest, we have had no discussions within the board about the Asia Cup,” a senior official of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) told Reuters on Tuesday, declining to confirm whether the tournament would proceed as scheduled. He added, “We have been occupied with the Indian Premier League, and following that, we have India’s tour of England. These are our immediate priorities.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was equally non-committal regarding its team’s participation in the tournament in India. “We will address that matter when the time comes,” the PCB stated to Reuters. Mohsin Naqvi, the ACC president, who also serves as the head of the PCB, was unavailable for comment.
The ACC announced on Monday the postponement of the women’s Emerging Asia Cup, which was slated to commence on Friday. The council cited adverse weather conditions and the prevalence of the viral disease chikungunya in host nation Sri Lanka as reasons for the delay.
India will be hosting the women’s 50-overs World Cup this year, but Pakistan’s matches, including the March 9 final, will all be played in Sri Lanka, a setup facilitated by the International Cricket Council. India had declined to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, opting to play all its matches, including the final, in Dubai.
Bilateral cricket fixtures between the Asian neighbors have been suspended since 2013, with both teams competing against each other solely in multi-team tournaments. India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, expressed his opposition to playing Pakistan even at neutral venues last month, though he affirmed he would abide by any decision made by the BCCI.
