Protests against the government in Sri Lanka have led to widespread violence across the country, creating a state of emergency and raising questions about the country’s next major sporting event. In particular, the next Asia Cup 2022 is to be held in Sri Lanka. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) recently handed over the host country to Sri Lanka. The tournament is scheduled to start on August 27, but Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup 2022 is in jeopardy amid heavy violence across the country.
Violence has now erupted in Sri Lanka following the economic crisis. Even after the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa from the post of Prime Minister, the anger of the people has not subsided. The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has called an emergency executive meeting amid ongoing violence across the country. The meeting is expected to discuss the host of the Asia Cup 2022 and Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia. A meeting of the SLC Executive Committee is to be held in Colombo. Local media reports said they would discuss the formalities of hosting the tournament in Dubai. The media quoted sources as saying that a discussion on the Australia tour would also be on the agenda of the meeting.
They have until July 27 to confirm whether Sri Lanka will be able to host the 2022 Asia Cup. Many former cricketers, including Arjun Ranatunga and Sanath Jayasuriya, are protesting against the government. Asian Cricket Council President and BCCI Secretary Jai Shah has already said that the final decision on hosting the Asia Cup 2022 will be taken after the IPL 2022 final in Ahmedabad. Amid ongoing unrest in the country, SLC has canceled the three-match ODI series against Pakistan. The series was decided during a tour of Sri Lanka in July. Now only two Tests will be played which is part of the World Test Championship.
The date of the tour will be decided later. The Australian team’s tour of Sri Lanka in June-July is also in jeopardy. Currently, given the economic situation in Sri Lanka, there is confusion as to whether the team will be able to tour Sri Lanka. Protests and violence have intensified since the resignation of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday. Five people have been killed and 200 injured in the violence. In that case, Australia will have to travel to Sri Lanka in June-July. Australia will play three T20 matches, five ODIs and two Tests in the tour. Cricket Australia is keeping a close eye on the current situation in Sri Lanka for the long tour from June 7 to July 12 and is confident that the tour will take place at a pre-arranged time. Three weeks from today, the Australian team is due to arrive in Colombo for the tour, where conditions are currently the worst. The team will spend 16 days in Colombo for the entire tour, which is in doubt as the situation has worsened since the resignation of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister.
Security chief Stuart Bailey visited the country last month amid the economic crisis and spoke of security during the visit. Cricket Australia has started monitoring following the violence on Monday night. On the other hand, Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka could prove to be better for the country’s economy, where people are struggling with food shortages and power cuts. An 18-month cricket schedule has been announced for the Australian team. The team will also tour India before the World Cup where they will play 3 T20 matches. The team is also scheduled to play a much-awaited Test series against India in February-March 2023.
Given the current situation, it can be said that the current Sri Lankan violence could have halted sporting activities in the same way that corona has halted sporting activities around the world. The decision to postpone the Asiad in China was taken recently due to Corona and now due to the violence in Sri Lanka, if the sub-continental cricket event Asia Cup is postponed or relocated along with the series between Australia and Pakistan, it will be a bad thing for the Asian subcontinent. A quick end to the ongoing violence in Sri Lanka and peace as soon as possible would be a good thing for the cricket world.
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