The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is chatting with Afghanistan’s cricket board about setting up a tri-series in August, just in case the Asia Cup gets canceled or pushed back. The Asia Cup is supposed to happen in September, and India is set to host it, but Pakistan has decided not to go over there due to some earlier agreements made before the Champions Trophy.
Since there’s some uncertainty around the Asia Cup, the PCB is looking into a backup plan. A source from PCB said, “With the Asia Cup not likely to go down in India like it was planned, the PCB is considering a tri-series instead.” They’re thinking that if the Asia Cup gets moved to the UAE, Pakistan could host a tri-series in Dubai with Afghanistan and the UAE in August, replacing a planned tour of Afghanistan to Pakistan.
The PCB has already started discussions with both boards to make this happen. The source mentioned, “If the Asia Cup gets called off or postponed, we want to set up the tri-series in Pakistan for August.” PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also heads the Asian Cricket Council, and it sounds like they’ll be meeting up soon to talk about the Asia Cup.
As of now, the Indian cricket board hasn’t confirmed whether they’ll host the Asia Cup or not. So we’ll have to wait and see what the ACC decides when they meet to talk about the future of the Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20 format.