Amid the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka, the former World Cup-winning captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, has spoken about the Island nation hosting Asia Cup 2022. He said that the Sri Lankan administration is “highly unprofessional’ and the prospect of SL hosting the Asia Cup “depends on other countries”.
Ranatunga said that he is hoping that the Asia Cup 2022 will be hosted in Sri Lanka despite the protests in the country as protestors will not have any issues with the cricket matches. There were some reports suggesting otherwise as the Sri Lankan economy has taken a major hit since the Covid-19 pandemic affected tourism in the country.
“I don’t know what to say. The guys who run cricket over here are highly unprofessional. I hope and pray for the country’s sake that Asia Cup should happen. It will now totally depend on other countries how they will see the situation over here,” Ranatunga told ANI.
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“I don’t think the protestors will have any issues with the cricket matches. They only have a problem with the government and they will not be interrupting the tournament. But the people in the administration are highly unprofessional and have ruined the cricket board. I have no idea how are they going to handle the situation,” he added.
Showing his complete mistrust of the SL board, he said that the officials will use the money for their own benefit if some former cricketers come ahead to help. “If some former cricketers offer help, I am scared that these government officials will use that money for their own benefit. This economic crisis will not get any better by hosting these matches, because we need a lot of money to overcome this situation. The current government is highly incompetent to handle this mess,” said Ranatunga.
Sri Lanka was picked as the official host of Asia Cup 2022 last month. The tournament is set to be played in T20 format. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and host Sri Lanka will be participating in this tournament, but the island nation could lose its hosting rights due to the ongoing crisis.