Sri Lanka, Afghanistan back India's demand to shift ACC AGM venue

Published - 22 Jul 2025, 14:50 IST | Updated - 22 Jul 2025, 15:22 IST

India have secured backing from both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in its demand to shift the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) from Dhaka, according to reports. This issue has sparked a significant dispute between India and Pakistan, with major struggles for the upcoming Asia Cup edition.

The AGM, scheduled to be chaired by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), was originally set to take place in Dhaka on July 24-25. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has insisted on changing the venue and has now gained support from two key ACC members. At least three permanent Test-playing members must be present for the meeting to proceed.

According to the ACC constitution, a minimum of 10 full or associate members must also attend the meeting. The full members include Nepal, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar, while associate members are Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Maldives, Japan, Iran, China, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

The reports indicate that the attendance of several members, namely Oman, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, and Indonesia, is uncertain.

The BCCI’s request to change the venue stems from escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan. However, PCB chairman and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi has refused to consider relocating the meeting and notably skipped the ICC Annual Conference in Singapore. Earlier, the BCCI also canceled a white-ball series against Bangladesh.

"It now seems the event has turned into a geopolitical matter. Aminul (Islam, the interim head of the BCB) could have handled the situation more carefully when approached by the PCB president to host the meeting. I think he could have taken more time because, in situations like this, taking time is part of the game. Probably due to inexperience, he agreed to host it without fully understanding the geopolitical implications," a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) insider said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"Bulbul (Aminul) was requested to cancel the meeting as some of the board directors were not ready to do anything that can hurt the BCCI but the president insisted that he had given his word so cannot return back after giving his words to PCB," the insider added.