Asia Cup 2021 called off over COVID-19 concerns

The 2021 Asia Cup competition, which was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was eventually going to be held in September 2020 in Sri Lanka. However, it was moved to June 2021 due to Covid-19. Due to the pandemic, the BCCI had also decided to host the IPL in September-November 2020 in UAE.

The T20 competition was going to be contested between India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Malaysia. Considering all these countries are planning for their Future Tour Programs (FTPs) for the next two years, the Asia Cup might now be hosted after the 2023 ICC 50-over World Cup.

The last edition of the Asia Cup took place back in the year 2018

A formal statement from the Asian Cricket Council is yet to be announced. The 2020 edition has been shifted several times. Initially, Pakistan was supposed to host it. However, due to political tensions between India and Pakistan, the competition was moved to Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, due to multiplying cases of COVID-19, the government of Sri Lanka has put a 10-day ban on international air travel. This is not the first instance that an Asia Cup has suffered an 11th-hour cancellation. The 1993 season was also canceled due to strained relations between India and Pakistan.

The last edition of the tournament took place back in the year 2018. The competition was initially scheduled to be held in India, but the Asian Cricket Council later shifted the venue to the UAE. The officials had to change the venue after Pakistan stated their discontentment, citing the non-issuance of visas to other sports athletes.

The Indian cricket team had won the last edition of the tournament by defeating Bangladesh in the final. The other teams which participated in the mega event were – Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan. With the victory, India further extended their supremacy in the continental championship. No other nation has managed to win the tournament more than India (7).

The maiden edition of the Asia Cup took place in the year 1984, which India also won. Apart from India, Sri Lanka is the second most successful team in the competition with five wins. However, with the tournament now postponed to 2022, the Asian teams would miss out on getting a good preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

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