NEW DELHI, July 24: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to host the upcoming Asia Cup T20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates with India likely to play all its matches in Dubai, sources in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on Thursday.
A formal announcement on the T20 Asia Cup is expected to be made in a few days’ time, the sources said. The decision was reportedly taken at an ACC meeting attended by all the 25 member nations to discuss the venue for the event. The BCCI was represented by its vice-president Rajeev Shukla virtually.
“The BCCI will host the Asia Cup in the UAE. India is likely to play all its matches in Dubai. There are still deliberations on scheduling,” ACC sources said. The tournament will be held for a little over fortnight in September. It has to end before the final week of the month as India’s Test series against West Indies is scheduled from that point.
“Our vice-president Rajeev Shukla ji attended the ACC meeting. He will brief the members. I don’t believe in speculations so you will get to know officially in a few days’ time,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said.
In Dhaka, ACC chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board head Mohsin Naqvi also kept cards close to his chest when asked about a possible Indo-Pak match at the continental event. “We will announce it shortly. We have had discussions with the BCCI and there are a few issues that we will resolve shortly. All 25 members attended the meet either physically or virtually. We are all on same page,” Naqvi told reporters.
It is also learnt that due to BCCI’s pressure, only two out of 10 items on the agenda, were discussed.
(Manas Dasgupta)
