NEW DELHI, India: This year’s Asia Cup hangs in the balance following the recent clashes between tournament hosts India and arch-rivals Pakistan.
Already-soured relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors further worsened after four days of intense fighting before a ceasefire was announced last month.
India are scheduled to host the Asia Cup, a flagship event of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in September but uncertainty lingers over the T20 tournament.
“To be honest, we have had no discussions within the board about the Asia Cup,” a top official of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) told Reuters on Tuesday, refusing to confirm whether the tournament will go ahead as scheduled.
“We have been busy with the Indian Premier League and then we have India’s tour of England. These are our immediate concerns,” he added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was not forthcoming about its team’s participation in the tournament in India either.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” the PCB told Reuters in a statement.
ACC president Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the PCB, was not available to comment.
The ACC on Monday announced the postponement of the women’s Emerging Asia Cup, which was due to begin on Friday, citing weather conditions and the spread of the viral disease chikungunya in host nation Sri Lanka.
India will host the women’s 50-overs World this year but Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka under an arrangement made by the International Cricket Council.
India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy this year and played all their matches, including the March 9 final, in Dubai.
Bilateral cricket has been suspended since 2013 between the Asian neighbors, who play each other only in multi-team events.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir is against playing Pakistan even in neutral venues but will follow whatever the BCCI decided, he said last month.
