Pakistan To Host 2020 Asia Cup, Reasserts ACC

India’s participation in the next Asia Cup, due to be held in 2020 is in serious doubt after the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) reasserted its decision to award the hosting rights to Pakistan. The ACC took the decision during its meeting in Singapore on Tuesday. India are the defending champions, having won the competition for a record seventh time last year in UAE by beating Bangladesh in the final.

The tournament, which may be organised in T20 format, will be held in September ahead of the World T20 in Australia. At the same time, the officials also decided that the tournament will be shifted to another venue if diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan do not improve. But for the time being, the ACC has decided Pakistan will continue to be the hosts unless the situation demands otherwise. The venue can be changed as it was done a couple of years ago when the event was shifted from India to the UAE.

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India and Pakistan have not played a full bilateral Test series since 2007 when Pakistan visited India for three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. They played a short series of three ODIs and two T20s in India in December 2012, but otherwise, both have faced each other only in the ICC organised events or the Asia Cup. India last played on Pakistan soil in 2008. The Mumbai terror attack later that year meant the tour turned out to be India’s last visit to the country.

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The bilateral ties became worse this year after the Pulwama attack in February. Carried out by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, the attack claimed the lives of more than 40 CRPF personnels. In the wake of the attack, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) led by Vinod Rai had written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to sever ties with countries from where terror emanates. There were also a question mark over the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup.

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But the ICC had decided against accepting India’s proposal and both the countries are now set to lock horns in the World Cup on June 16 in Manchester.