The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) appears to have had a change of heart and is now considering hosting the matches in Colombo itself. The earlier plan to relocate the tournament to Hambantota has been temporarily halted, and efforts are underway to determine whether the original schedule, in which matches were to be played in Colombo, can still proceed.
According to the latest information from the ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket, the organizers are exploring the possibility of conducting the Colombo leg of the championship as initially planned, despite concerns about the heavy rain threat due to the prevailing weather patterns on the island, particularly in the capital city. The weather situation and forecasts are reportedly showing signs of improvement.
The Indian team drove to Colombo on Tuesday afternoon, and upon checking into the Taj Samudra Hotel, they were greeted by bright and sunny weather. The team management has not yet received official confirmation regarding the schedule, and they continue to assume that the matches will take place in the capital city itself. Sources indicate that a definitive decision will be communicated to them within the next two days, during which the team does not have any scheduled practice sessions.
There are six games scheduled in Colombo, including the final on September 17. The first Super 4 game is only September 9, followed by an India-Pakistan game on September 10. There are three more games, on September 12, 14 and 15 before the final.
This development comes amidst a strong rejoinder from Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and president of ACC, and Najam Sethi, the former President of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who has been critical of Shah and the ACC regarding the Asia Cup schedule.
“The decision-making process regarding the Asia Cup 2023 format and venue was guided by a sincere desire to prioritize the well-being of the players, as well as the overarching interests of the sport. Ultimately, the goal was to strike a balance that would allow for a competitive and successful tournament while ensuring the health and readiness of the participating teams for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” Shah said in a statement on Tuesday. He was silent on the shift to Hambantota.
Shah’s statement comes in the wake of continued attack from Sethi, who recently 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 (sic).”
Shah said a move to UAE was not in the interest of the players ahead of the World Cup. “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. 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,” the ACC president said.
