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'Lekin yahan ke pitches toh bakwas hoti hai' - Fans react as Sri Lanka reported to host Asia Cup 2023

Sri Lanka would likely be hosting Asia Cup 2023 ahead of the ODI World Cup. Here's how fans reacted to the latest reports.

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Rohit Kumar
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Asia Cup to be hosted by Sri Lanka

Asia Cup to be hosted by Sri Lanka (Source: Twitter)

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) plans to shift the tournament from Pakistan, which means Sri Lanka will likely host the 2019 Asia Cup. Since Indian Cricket Board secretary Jay Shah announced that the Indian team would not cross the border, the decision to move the event from the original host country has always been in the works.

By the end of the month, a final decision will be made about the tournament's location, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka supporting the choice of the island nation to host the event. As of the right moment, it's uncertain whether Pakistan will take part in the competition, given rumours that it may boycott it.

Pakistan's hybrid model of hosting Asia Cup lacked support from ACC members

The decision appears to be a formality, despite the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) continued interest in hosting the tournament at home and Indian Cricket Board's support from other ACC members. The PCB had proposed a hybrid approach to host the Asia Cup, wherein India's matches alone would be staged in Dubai. This was done in response to the Indian Cricket Board's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the event due to a lack of government approval.

However, no one has expressed interest in that concept, and the tournament broadcaster has also voiced misgivings about it. The other boards hesitated to play in the Gulf a month before the 50-over World Cup because September was peak summer in the United Arab Emirates. Even Oman is rumoured to have offered to host the event during a recent informal meeting of the ACC members. Still, given the circumstances, Sri Lanka has been chosen as the ideal location.

The 2018 Asia Cup was held in Dubai in September, although the players found the circumstances difficult. Hardik Pandya suffered a back injury during that competition. Since teams wanted to use the Asia Cup as a warm-up for the World Cup, which will start in the first week of October, the UAE has been completely disqualified. The Indian Cricket Board previously organised the IPL in September (2020), but even those games, played in the second half of the summer, proved challenging for players to handle.

Here's how fans reacted: 

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