COLOMBO: The Asia Cup has been postponed for a second year after the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on Sunday there was no room on the calendar to host the rescheduled tournament.

The 2020 edition was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the ACC said a packed Future Tours Programme (FTP) made it impossible to hold it this year and it would be held in 2023 instead.

England are set to host Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India in various formats between June and September while the ICC Twenty20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in India in October-November.

“The board has accordingly considered the matter very carefully and determined that the only way ahead would be to postpone the event,” the ACC said in a statement.

“It would therefore only be feasible for this edition of the tournament to be held in 2023 as there is already an Asia Cup in 2022. Dates for the same will be confirmed in due course.”

India are the defending Asia Cup champions, having beaten Bangladesh by three wickets in the 2018 final in Dubai.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2021