Pakistan has the hosting rights of Asia Cup 2020, which will be played in the T20 format. However, given the political tensions between India and Pakistan, the former is very much unlikely to tour the country. And it appears, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will have to shift the tournament to a neutral venue with UAE likely to be the first choice. International cricket has started to resume in Pakistan, but major Test-playing nations are yet to tour the country. Waiting for Team India to Travel to Pakistan for a Bilateral Series: Shahid Afridi on Indo-Pak Cricketing Ties.

Meanwhile, as per a Mumbai Mirror report, PCB has accepted Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) demand to stage the multi-national Asia Cup at a neutral venue. Earlier, BCCI had made it clear that India won’t take part in Asia Cup 2020 if it was held in Pakistan.

“Our understanding is that the Asia Cup matter is resolved, and the neutral venue will be finalised at the ACC meeting,” the BCCI official was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is expected to finalise the decision on Asia Cup 2020 venue by February end or early March. Meanwhile, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani told Sportstar that the mater would be discussed jointly. “We will discuss the matter jointly, same as we decided last time (in 2018), when India had to host the Asia Cup in the UAE as they could not guarantee visas for Pakistan players.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2020 07:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).