The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has told Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to change the venue of next Asia Cup, scheduled to be played in September 2020. On Thursday (December 13), PCB secured the hosting rights of Asia Cup for the first time in over a decade.

As per a report in TOI, the message with regards to the change of venue was conveyed to the Pakistan officials during the Asian Cricket Council meeting in Dhaka on Thursday. Like India offered the hosting right of the 2018 Asia Cup to United Arab Emirates, Pakistan have been asked to do something similar.

"Playing in Pakistan is out of question and so the hosts have been told to think about an alternative arrangement," a source told TOI.

As Pakistan travelling and playing in India would've been a complicated political issue, the BCCI had opted to stage the 2018 Asia Cup in UAE.  

Since the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, Pakistan hasn’t hosted international cricket on regular basis. However, in the last couple of years, things have improved a bit with teams like Sri Lanka, West Indies and a star-studded World XI side touring the country. Moreover, Pakistan had also staged several high-profile PSL games in Lahore and Karachi over the last two seasons.

With still time on their side, Pakistan are hoping that the situation would improve even further. On the other hand, India is not showing any intent to bow. Earlier, the BCCI refrained from sending its representative for the ACC's AGM in Lahore owing to security reasons and existing political tension between neighbouring nations.

 (With TOI inputs)