This year’s Asia Cup is likely to take place in Bangladesh with the decision set to be made official towards the March.

According to Daily Express, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) struck a deal with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) with the latter hosting the Asia Cup in return for touring Pakistan for bilateral series.

Following an agreement between PCB and BCB, the Tigers were scheduled to tour Pakistan in three legs, earlier this year in January. Post the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020, which concludes in Lahore on 22 March, Bangladesh will visit Pakistan for the third and final leg and will play an ODI in Karachi on 3 April and second ICC World Test Championship fixture from April 5 to 9.

Nazmul Hassan, who is currently the president of, both, the BCB and Asian Cricket Council (ACC), had told the PCB that he will convince the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to send its team for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

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The PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, while talking to reporters on Friday, had revealed that the upcoming Asia Cup will have to be hosted at a neutral venue although he refrained from naming it. He added that India’s reluctance to tour Pakistan was the reason behind the decision. 

The chairman of the PCB confirmed that Pakistan is still the host of the upcoming event while stating that he did not care about the statements made by the BCCI.

Earlier, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had claimed that the upcoming edition of Asia Cup will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year in September.

Ganguly’s statement made BCB officials anxious which was partly the reason why they voiced their concerns over the coronavirus situation in Pakistan, casting a doubt over the third leg of their tour. But PCB has assured them that there is nothing to worry about as the Asia Cup will take place in Bangladesh — as per the aforementioned deal.    

The PCB’s relationship with Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is no longer cordial, after it had revoked the players’ No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the T10 League inorder to manage the workload of the cricketers last year, which makes it difficult for them to host the event in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A PCB spokesperson, when approached on this matter, brushed aside the notion that such a deal had taken place as Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan was part of ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) while adding that the final decision on Asia Cup’s venue will be taken during ACC meeting, scheduled to take place later in March.