Asia Cup 2021 officially pushed back by two years

India won the most recent edition in 2018 in the UAE

The 2021 edition of the Asia Cup has been officially postponed and pushed back to 2023 owing to the packed international schedule and the logistical challenges of the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic forcing the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to reschedule the multi-team event.

“The ACC Executive Board, in face of the risks and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, had made the difficult decision to postpone the Asia Cup 2020 to 2021,” the council said in a media release yesterday.

“Since then, the ACC has been working with its participants and stakeholders to try and ensure that the event is held in the year.”

“However, on account of a packed FTP, it has been concluded that there is no practical window in the year when all the teams would be available to participate.”

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in September of last year. The council then contemplated a June window in 2021 to play the tournament with Sri Lanka playing hosts after the Pakistan Cricket Board exchanged hosting rights with Sri Lanka Cricket for the next two editions of the tournament.

As things stand, Pakistan will retain hosting rights for the 2022 edition, with Sri Lanka taking over for the 2023 season. (Agencies)