'If Asia Cup venue changes, Bangladesh will be the first choice'

The Asia Cup T20I tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in August, might be held in Bangladesh if Sri Lanka relinquishes the hosting right, hinted Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon.

When asked if BCB was prepared to host the event, the BCB president said, "Sri Lanka is going through a tough time, which means their board is not in a good condition either. It's not the right time to ask such a question.

"Time will tell everything. I was supposed to go to India to meet with the ICC [International Cricket Council] president. I don't think it's the right time to talk about it. But if the venue changes, Bangladesh will be the first choice," he added.

Asia Cup is scheduled to start on August 27 with five Test-playing nations and a team coming through the qualifiers. However, the venue may change while keeping the fixtures as they are.

This year's campaign will take place in T20 format ahead of the T20I World Cup later this year. The last time the tournament was arranged in 2018 in ODI format focusing on the 2019 ODI World Cup. India became champions of the event beating Bangladesh in a nail-biting final.