Sri Lanka Crisis: Bangladesh identified as stand-by venue for Asia Cup 2022

Now,
it
has
been
learnt
that
Bangladesh
has
been
drafted
in
as
the
standby
venue
for
the
Asia
Cup
2022
if
Sri
Lanka
cannot
host
the
event
courtesy
the
civil
unrest.

However,
a
final
decision
has
not
been
taken
as
the
Asian
Cricket
Council
(ACC)
is
closely
watching
the
unfolding
events
in
Sri
Lanka.

The
ACC
is
also
tailoring
in
the
fact
that
Australia
completed
a
full-fledged
series
in
Sri
Lanka
amid
the
crisis.

This
has
also
made
the
Sri
Lanka
Cricket
(SLC)
officials
hopeful
of
conducting
the
Asia
Cup
2022
in
the
country
itself
despite
the
on-going
turmoil.

It
may
be
recalled
that
the
last
edition
of
the
Asia
Cup
was
held
in
2018
in
the
UAE
and
India
emerged
champions
in
that
tournament,
defeating
Bangladesh
in
the
final.

People
has
taken
to
the
streets
of
Colombo
and
has
forced
resignations
from
Prime
Minister
Mahinda
Rajapaksa,
his
successor
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
and
president
Gotabaya
Rajapaska,
who
has
fled
the
country
as
per
reports.

The
unprecedented
developments
witnessed
in
were
inevitable
in
the
face
of
people’s
raging
fury
against
the
family
over
its
handling
of
the
economic
crisis,
leading
strategic
affairs
experts
in
India
said
on
Sunday.

At
the
same
time,
they
said
the
economic
situation
is
unlikely
to
improve
dramatically
just
because
President
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa
has
decided
to
step
down,
paving
the
way
for
the
formation
of
an
all-party
government.

Embattled
President
Rajapaksa
announced
on
Saturday
that
he
would
step
down
on
July
13,
hours
after
thousands
of
angry
protesters
stormed
his
official
residence
and
set
Prime
Minister
‘s
private
house
on
fire.

Wickremesinghe
also
said
he
would
resign.
“This
was
becoming
inevitable.
The
popular
sentiment
had
turned
against
the
Rajapaksas.
They
lost
their
political
capital,”
Ambassador
Ashok
K
Kantha
told
PTI.

Kantha,
who
served
as
Indian
High
Commissioner
to
Sri
Lanka
from
2009
to
2013,
said
there
was
a
“fairly
strong
political
demand
and
consensus”
that
the
Rajapaksas
must
step
down.

Prime
Minister,
elder
brother
of
President
Gotabaya
Rajapaksa,
stepped
down
on
May
9
after
massive
anti-government
protests
rocked
Sri
Lanka.