Asia Cup officially moved from Sri Lanka to UAE amid political turmoil in island nation

Dubai: The 2022 Asia Cup has been moved from Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) considering the economic and political crisis in the island nation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) confirmed.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will continue to be the host nation of the marquee six-team tournament which will be played between August 27 and September 11.

"Considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC after extensive deliberation has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to UAE," a statement the ACC read.

Jay Shah, President, ACC said: "Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights.

"This edition of the Asia Cup is extremely important as it will help Asian nations prepare for the ICC World Cup, and I thank the SLC and the Emirates Cricket Board for their understanding and cooperation."

Khalid Al Zarooni, Vice-Chairman, Emirates Cricket Board said: "The Board takes great pride in UAE being named the new venue for the Asia Cup. The ECB is always ready to help fellow Member Boards and the ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket have our full support.

The UAE also hosted the previous edition of the tournament, in the ODI format in 2018, which was won by India. (UNI)