Bangladesh to host 2012 Asia Cup

Asian Cricket Council awards the rights after meeting.

The 2012 Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh after an executive meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) decided to award the rights to the country.

The tournament, which will held from March 1 to 12 at the Shere Bangla National stadium in Mirpur, will be hosted by Bangladesh for the second time with the first instance being in 2000.

“We’re thrilled that the 11th Asia Cup will be held here,” ACC CEO Syed Ashraful Huq told ESPNcricinfo. “It goes well with Mustafa Kemal’s presidency of both bodies [ACC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board] and we are confident the tournament will go well.”

India, the defending champions, will compete alongside Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the hosts. China, which hosted cricket matches of the Asian Games this year, was a contender for hosting the tournament but lost out after there were doubts over their ability to host a quadrangular tournament.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2010.