Asia Cup 2020 could be cancelled amid the increasing threat of Coronavirus, reveals BCCI official

The coronavirus has affected all sectors of society. One of the major hit has been taken by the sports industry, considering its a sector which requires a presence of a mass gathering. As far as the world of cricket is concerned, a year which was supposed to be a great one has suddenly turned out into a barren one. 2020 was supposed to be the year of some great cricket matches, but due to the global pandemic, the sporting world has come to a standstill.

2020 is the year of the Asia Cup. And as a T20 World Cup is supposed to be held this year, there would have been a switch in the format at the Asia Cup as well. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has been holding the Asia Cup every two years. The format of the tournament depends on the upcoming world event. In 2016, a T20 Asia Cup was organized preeceding the T20 World Cup.

‘Asia Cup this year isn’t a possibility’: BCCI official

In 2018, the world had witnessed a 50-overs Asia Cup looking forward to the World Cup 2019. This year the tournament was going to be held in September. But, due to the growing number of cases of coronavirus patients, it is expected to be called off this year. Recently, a BCCI official spoke about this in an interview.

“Though it doesn’t seem right to be talking about cricket schedules as of now, we can safely assume that the Asia Cup isn’t a possibility. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 is unknown as of now. The job losses across sectors and the impact on the economy are also unknown”, the BCCI official said as quoted by The Times of India.

“The sports organisation are also hit deeply and there will be some tough measures once some semblance of normalcy returns. There are liabilities and difficulties that the Board faces and it will be a new kind of a challenge to deal with them,” he further added.

“We cannot throw light on when the next Asian Cricket Council meeting will take place and on decisions around the Asia Cup and its fate,” a PCB official had also told the media earlier.