The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) confirmed that Dhaka would remain the venue for the Asia Cup next month, also announcing that Afghanistan would be the fifth team in the regional One-Day International tournament.

Following an outbreak of violent protests and strikes in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city, ahead of the elections on Sunday, it was expected that the tournament would be moved out, with Sri Lanka offering to host the tournament as well as the World Twenty20 2014.

However, after an ACC Executive Board meeting in Colombo, it was decided the tournament would go on as scheduled from February 25 to March 7. “Everything is in place for the tournament, no one raised any issue about safety, said Ashraful Haque, the ACC chief executive, adding that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had made a detailed security presentation at the meeting. All 11 matches in the tournament will take place in Dhaka.

There was also good news for Afghanistan, as the board confirmed that they would join Asia’s four Test-playing nations – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – in the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan have come up in leaps and bounds in international cricket, and in October last year, qualified for their maiden 50-over World Cup. They also made it to their third successive World Twenty20. “This is a big step forward for Afghanistan,” said Haque. “Their participation in the Asia Cup will encourage them for the bigger tests ahead.” - AFP