Asia Cup: Jay Shah explains why Sri Lanka was chosen as venue and not UAE

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Jay Shah has explained why Sri Lanka was favoured over United Arab Emirates (UAE) to co-host Asia Cup 2023 with Pakistan.

This has come after ACC faced flak for choosing Sri Lanka as hosts in the rainy month of September as all three group stage matches in the island nation faced rain breaks, and the India-Pakistan match was washed out.

Pakistan's economic conditions, broadcasters' hesitancy main concern

Shah, in a press release, said, "All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan. This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country."

PCB offered a hybrid model for Asia Cup 2023

Shah also clarified that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested the hybrid model to host the Asia Cup 2023. "As ACC President, I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution," Shah, 34, said.

"To this end, I accepted the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it's important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches," he added further.

Why UAE was not chosen as the joint host for the tournament?

Then why UAE, which has a sizeable Indian and Pakistani population and cricket fans, was not chosen as the venue for the Asia Cup?

Najam Sethi, the former PCB chief, was the first to raise this question. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he categorically listed what Pakistan proposed and what it got in return from ACC.

Answering this, Shah said that the last edition of the Asia Cup, hosted in UAE was in the T20 format and the dynamics of T20 and 100 over ODI format cannot be compared.

"ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup," said Shah.

Players' well-being prioritised

Shah further argued that the decison of selecting the host revolved around prioritising players over anything else.

"Ultimately, the goal was to strike a balance that would allow for a competitive and successful tournament while ensuring the health and readiness of the participating teams for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023," he said.

Rain plays spoilsport in Sri Lanka

The first match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka held in Pallekele saw rain breaks, since it was a low-scoring game, the match was not curtailed. However, the next two matches, which saw India in action were marred by rain breaks.

While the India vs Pakistan match was washed out after just one innings, the India and Nepal game had to be played through several rain breaks, with India eventually being asked to chase 145 runs in 23 overs.

Comparison of UAE's and Sri Lanka's weather conditions

While the average minimum and maximum temperature in UAE in September is 35 degrees Celsius and 42 degrees Celsius, respectively, Sri Lanka witnesses 25 degrees Celcius and 28 degrees Celcius. Thus, there is a considerable difference in the heat that the players would face in UAE compared to Sri Lanka.