Amid rising optimism, ACC targets Sept 2nd week start for Asia Cup

Is there a breakthrough in the Asia Cup imbroglio? It may still be a little premature to draw any definitive conclusions about the continental championship, but there is now a greater sense of optimism surrounding the tournament. This is a marked change from the uncertainty that had loomed over it due to the tensions between India and Pakistan.

While nothing concrete has been finalised as yet, indications are that a formal decision could be taken next week. What's more, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is hopeful of releasing the schedule for the six-team tournament in the first week of July, when it is expected to convene.

If all goes according to plan, the ACC is believed to be targeting a start in the second week of September. More specifically, the tournament - to be played in the T20 format - is likely to begin on September 10. Along with India and Pakistan, the participating teams will include Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the UAE. Some sort of promotional activities for the tournament have already begun, in fact.

The UAE continues to remain the frontrunner to host the tournament, although there is also some discussion around staging it in a hybrid format. While India is the designated host this time, the ACC had earlier decided that when it is India or Pakistan's turn to host the Asia Cup, the tournament would be held in a neutral venue - for understandable reasons.

The tournament was plunged into uncertainty following the terror attack in Pahalgam in April. Matters escalated further after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May, casting serious doubts over the tournament's future. There were also growing calls in India to boycott Pakistan in multilateral events. India, in any case, does not engage with Pakistan in bilateral cricket. There was even chatter that India's boycott of Pakistan in global events will be discussed in the next ICC meeting.

However, the recent turn of events in world cricket is suggestive of the situation heading into a different direction. In quick succession, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released the schedules for two global events - the Women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, and the Women's T20 World Cup in England. India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in both the tournaments - first on October 5 in Colombo, and then on June 14 at Edgbaston.

Although officials from the BCCI, ACC, or ICC have not commented publicly on the matter, it appears that cricketing ties between the arch-rivals will continue - at least in the global events. These matches remain the biggest revenue generators for world cricket - and it's important to note that this applies to global cricket, not necessarily to Indian cricket. India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are not exactly reliant on the revenue from these high-profile encounters, but governing bodies like the ICC, the ACC, and their member boards heavily are.