What was the confusion around shifting Asia Cup 2023?

The 2023 Asia Cup has been rife with speculations right from its planning stages. The continental tournament was initially planned to be held entirely in Pakistan, but due to Team India's reluctance to travel across the border, a hybrid model was employed which saw matches being allotted to both Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Even with the tournament underway, and the group stage wrapped up, there was a lot of confusion regarding the venues for the Super Four stage as well as the final. The concern stems from the fact that Colombo, the venue for the matches, will be subjected to heavy rainfall in the coming days.

Rain has already played a significant part in the Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka. Both of India's group encounters at the Pallekele International Stadium were severely affected by rain, leading to speculations that the tournament will be shifted from Colombo to either Hambantota or Dambulla, where the forecast is expected to be a bit better.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed its disappointment over the entire scheduling saga. Former governing body president Najam Sethi said:

"I proposed that we play five matches in Pakistan and eight in the UAE. This also they rejected and hinted at giving the Asia Cup hosting rights to Sri Lanka if we didn't budge. BCCI refused to accept their request. Only Mr (Jay) Shah can explain why these options were rejected and why Sri Lanka was accommodated against all reason, logic, and rationality. The choice of venues in Sri Lanka was also problematic as we have seen."

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah issued a response, where he explained why the UAE was not a credible choice due to extreme heat.

"The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It's important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format," he said.

In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup," Shah added.

The Pakistan leg of the 2023 Asia Cup concluded with the Super Four contest between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

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No change in Asia Cup 2023 schedule; matches to proceed in Colombo as initially planned

The prospect of shifting the tournament was quashed by Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva, who said:

“It was just rumour. We haven’t made any change in the schedule. The weather is fine in Colombo right now."

Sri Lanka will host its first Super Four stage of the tournament when the Dasun Shanaka-led side take on Bangladesh on Saturday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

India are scheduled to play their first Super Four contest when they face Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday.

There will be three more matches in the Super Four stage, before the tournament comes to an end on September 17.