ACC was working towards securing June 2021 as a suitable window for the tournament
12 March, 2021
PHOTO: AFP
Asia Cup is unlikely to take place this year as Asian giants, India and Pakistan, struggle to find a window for the tournament due to a packed cricket calendar.
The 2020 Asia Cup was postponed last year and moved to 2021 with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) working towards securing June 2021 as a suitable window for the tournament. However, the PCB is planning to arrange the remaining PSL 6 matches in the same window, while India will be taking on New Zealand in the World Test Championship final in Southampton during the same month.
According to sources, PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, during yesterday’s meeting, told the franchise owners that the Asian cricket event will not be held this year, therefore, the window for completing PSL 6 will be available in June. India had recently hinted towards sending their B team for the Asia Cup, but Pakistan does not want to play a depleted side. PCB officials believe PSL is as important to Pakistan as World Test Championship is for BCCI. Sources further added that now Asia Cup will be staged in 2023 and the host of that event will be decided by the ACC.
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On the other hand, in yesterday’s meeting, the franchise once again urged the board to ask Cricket South Africa (CSA) to postpone the Pakistan series so that the league could be completed this month. One owner even said that Proteas should be threatened to cancel the tour so that it could reschedule the series, as a cancelation will result in financial loss for them. However, the board officials were not willing to go down that route as they believes South helped them by sending their team to Pakistan and they don’t want to inflict loss on an already struggling South African board. Another team owner advised the PCB to fix their own home before thinking about the welfare of other boards.
The source added that the proposed schedule of remaining PSL matches will be sent to the franchises this week and it will be released once all parties agree to it.
