The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have been taken by shock on Sri Lanka’s claim that the 2020 Asia Cup will be played on their shores later this year, report agencies.
The Asia Cup, which will be held in the T20 format, was supposed to be a warm-up for the 2020 World T20 tournament which is supposed to be held in Australia in the month of October.
The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have hit the BCCI hard, forcing the postponement of the Indian Premier League this year. The Indian board is now hoping that if the World T20 can’t go ahead, then IPL can take its place on the cricket calendar for the September-October slot. However, an Asia Cup in the same period will mean a truncated IPL, which the BCCI is not prepared for at any cost.
After the ACC meeting, SLC chief Shammi Silva had said, “We had a discussion with Pakistan Cricket Board and they have already agreed to our hosting this edition due to the present world situation. We had an online ACC meeting and they basically gave us the green light to host the tournament," Silva was quoted as saying.
To this a BCCI official said, "We have no idea where such reports are coming from and we’re surprised how fast these reports travel. The BCCI is clear that no decision was taken at the ACC meeting. The Board (BCCI) is tired of giving out these clarifications. Earlier it was about travelling to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, and BCCI had to deny it with a statement. Now this.”
The official further made it clear that this year's IPL won't be a truncated one, just because of the Asia Cup.
"Let’s be clear about that first. There won't be a truncated IPL just to host an Asia Cup. Those thinking on such lines are clearly not speaking in India's interests and the BCCI will not be party to it,” sources added.
Talking about the numbers, any other series in the world would match up to the numbers generated by IPL.
“Even the World Cup in England was a loss-making event for the broadcaster and we're talking about an Asia Cup here.
