Papon explains why UAE will be hosting the Asia Cup
The 19th edition of the Asia Cup will commence from 19th September this year. Although initially it was decided that India will be hosting the tournament, the conflict between India and Pakistan, both on and off the ground, saw a new venue being selected.
According to Bangladesh Cricket Board [BCB] president Nazmul Hasan Papon, the new venue—the United Arab Emirates have been selected to serve the best interests of the participating nations.
Papon reportedly said, “This year's Asia Cup was due to be in India. Then India offered a neutral venue in the meeting. India researched on neutral venues as well.
They found that if it [Asia Cup] takes place in the UAE, the revenue will be the highest. And thus, it would be beneficial for the members, meaning we'll get more money. Then all the boards certainly agreed to play in the UAE.”
The UAE have hosted the competition twice before this instance, including the first-ever edition of the tournament in 1983.
There will be six teams participating this year in the Asia Cup alongside the five full members of the ICC. The sixth participant will be determined through a qualifying round.
Unlike the last edition of the Asia Cup, which was won by India, ODI format will be played in the tournament this year. 2016 was the only time when the tournament was played in T20 format.
