Oh Man.. some PPers cannot sleep until they put down BCCI/India.. it was kind of foregone conclusion that it will be held in UAE once the UAE Sheikh got involved. India and UAE have excellent relationship and Sheikh has very good personal rapport with Modi.. i was hoping that it will happen in either SL/BD for cricketing reasons but it was unlikely once he got involved. Stop thumping your chest. This happened few days before the announcements were made..
https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com...asia-cup-in-the-gulf/articleshow/63651670.cms
Here is a copy paste for those who don't want to click through the link. Pak indicated that there is no gurantee of Pak participation even if it is in UAE if India is hosting it.. lets see their decision
UAE Sheikh asks BCCI, ACC to stage Asia Cup in the Gulf
By Vijay Tagore, Mumbai Mirror | Updated: Apr 7, 2018, 07.29 AM IST
Asia Cup is getting a royal touch. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has come into the picture. The crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is pitching for the tournament to be held in the Middle East.
More specifically, Sheikh Nahyan wants the tournament staged in Abu Dhabi and has written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
A decision on this expected to be taken on April 10 when the ACC members meet in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sheikh’s request fits in two ways. It goes with the recent improvement of relations between India and Abu Dhabi following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf kingdom and it can also ensure the participation of Pakistan.
No guarantee of Pak participation
As of today, there is no guarantee that Pakistan will be able to take part in the tournament as India are the designated hosts. The prevailing tension at the border and diplomatic standoff between the countries are adding to the uncertainty. There may be a chance that a few matches will be played in Dubai, if not necessarily in Sharjah.
Sources close to the development tell Mirror that the Emirates Cricket Board officials meet the Asian board chiefs during last month’s ICC meeting in Dubai. Rahul Johri had represented BCCI at the meeting. But the BCCI CEO, without going into details, said the decision will be taken at the ACC meeting.
Besides having good equation with the Government of India, Sheikh Nahyan has good relations with the BCCI too. He used to be regular to the IPL matches at Sheik Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2013 and so much so, it was said that the Crown Prince had never attended so many games of involving Pakistan team, which hosts all its international matches in the UAE.
Asia Cup will be a 50-over tournament in which six teams – five full members India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and a qualifier – will take part. It means, there is no guarantee that UAE will be an automatic entry.
It has to qualify. So will Nepal, which has been granted the ODI status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently. The Himalayan state will have to come through the qualification process.
