Sri Lanka to host Asia Cup T20 tournament from Aug 27 to Sept 11
Colombo, Mar 19: Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup T20 tournament from August 27 to September 11, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced on Saturday after its annual general meeting here.
All five Test teams of the continent -- India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka -- will feature in the tournament, along with one more Asian side that will be decided after a qualifier tournament which will be held from August 20.
"The Asia Cup 2022 (T20 Format) will be held in Sri Lanka from 27 August - 11 September later this year. The Qualifiers for the same will be played 20 August 2022 onwards," the ACC tweeted after its AGM.
The tournament, that usually alternates between ODI and T20I formats, was last played in 2018 and won by India. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced the postponement of the 2020 edition.
Sri Lanka were supposed to host the 2020 edition, but the pandemic first pushed the event to 2021 before finally being moved to 2022. Pakistan, who were originally supposed to host the 2022 Asia Cup, now have the hosting rights for 2023.
The sixth team to join the tournament will be one of UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Hong Kong. UAE and Kuwait had made it to the qualifiers after finishing first and second in the ACC Western region event in 2020 while Singapore and Hong Kong did the same from the eastern region.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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