Asia Cup to be postponed if India reach WTC final: Ehsan Mani

Ehsan Mani. Pic/AFP

The 2021 Asia Cup could be postponed if India reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final, said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani.

The tournament is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in June while the WTC final is slated to be held from June 18-22 at the Lord's in London.

"Asia Cup was set to be held last year, but it got postponed to this year. Right now, it looks like the tournament won't be going ahead this year as the WTC final is set to go ahead in June. Sri Lanka had said that they would try to host the tournament in June," Mani told reporters in Karachi.

India's victory over England in the third Test of the four-match series earlier this month helped them take a 2-1 lead in the series. They now need only a draw in the fourth Test to qualify for the WTC final where they will face New Zealand.

"The dates are clashing. We think the tournament would not be going ahead, and we might have to push the tournament to 2023," Mani added.

Originally scheduled to be held in September 2020, the Asia Cup was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Pakistan had won rights to host the tournament but it was moved out of the country after the Board of Control for Cricket in India requested for a change in venue due to security concerns.

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