The eighth Asia Cup cricket tournament will be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium next March. Defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh, who earned the lone associate-member slot by virtue of winning the ACC Trophy at Nepal earlier this month, are scheduled to take part in the meet.
But the championship is already threatened as India expressed its non-availability during that time.
``I have made it clear to the ACC president Thilanga Sumathipala that we will not be able to come to Dhaka in March. And we have given the ACC two possible options - either to go on without us or shift the tourney to November or December'', said the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Raj Singh Dungarpur to The Daily Star yesterday.
The BCCI supremo, who is now in Dhaka to witness the Wills International Cup, while elaborating the hectic schedule of the Indian team leading up to the World Cup, said that it would not be possible for them to take part in the biennial event at the stipulated time. The schedule was finalised at the ACC meeting at Kathmandu earlier this month.
``Our boys are playing too much cricket since September. We have a hectic schedule ahead. From Dhaka we will go to Sharjah and then to New Zealand. Besides, Pakistan will be visiting India in January and the series (three Tests and as many one-days) will continue up to March. We will then be left with only two months to prepare for the World Cup'', said Dungarpur.
Replying to a query, Dungarpur said, ``I'm not aware whether our decision has been conveyed to the organisers. I had however informed the ACC at Kathmandu''.
Dungarpur held discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Khalid Mahmud on a numerous occasions regarding the proposed Test and One-day series between the two arch-rivals on Indian soil.
``We have discussed a lot many things. Yet, nothing but one thing so far has been finalised -- that we are not going to include Mumbai as a venue for the series'', said Dungarpur.
The two sub-continental rivals played their last Test match in 1989, when Pakistan won on Indian soil under Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has announced that he will not allow Pakistan cricketers to play in India. For the moment it seems Mumbai is most under threat.