Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) could be dealt a huge financial blow as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is contemplating on moving the Asia Cup 2022 from the island nation to the UAE.

Asia Cup 2022, in a T20 format, was announced to be held in Sri Lanka between August 27 and September 11 after an AGM was held between the member countries in March.

However, the country is dealing with a major economic crisis and questions are being raised if it could still stage the marquee tournament amid the ongoing mass protest and political unrest.

According to a Cricbuzz report, Asia Cup could well be shifted to the UAE with ACC ramping up their preparations for the same.

“In such a scenario, it is being felt that hosting the championship is not appropriate,” a member of the ACC told Cricbuzz on Saturday (July 16).

Recently, Sri Lanka successfully hosted the Australian men’s team in all three formats of the game. However, things have changed drastically in the past one week as the Presidential Palace was stormed by protesters and the Prime Minister’s residence was set on fire.

Despite the recent development, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is supporting SLC for the hosting of the multi-nation event.

“Our first preference is to support Sri Lanka and play the Asia Cup there. If this tournament does not take place in Sri Lanka, it will be a huge cricketing and financial loss for them. Australia’s recent tour of Sri Lanka went off without any problems,” Faisal Hasnain, PCB CEO, said.

The PCB official is also confident that the ongoing unrest won’t have any impact in the ongoing two-Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“Similarly, there have been no issues with the ongoing Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka as we are constantly in touch with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and our embassy in the country. Our discussions with the ACC representatives have suggested that the tournament is on track at the moment as they are monitoring the situation very carefully and we will support their decision,” he added.

(With Cricbuzz inputs)