The Asia Cup, scheduled to begin on August 27, has been moved from Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Asian Cricket Council announced on Wednesday. Sri Lanka Cricket, however, will retain hosting rights for the tournament. "Considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC after extensive deliberation has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to the UAE," the ACC said in a statement. "Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights," ACC president Jay Shah was quoted as saying.