Hong Kong to host East Asia Cup T20 tournament in 2021

Hong Kong will host the East Asia Cup in 2021, Cricket Association of Japan announced on Tuesday (May 18). Japan, China and South Korea will host the next three editions of the competition.



The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the cricket associations of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, wherein it was decided that the T20 tournament will be held every year for the next four years. In the unprecedented move, separate agreements have been made for the men’s and women’s tournaments, in an attempt to satisfy the increasing appetite for the women's sport.



“With so much uncertainty around international travel and what possibilities there might be for playing cricket in the future, we felt it was vital to make a long-term commitment to the East Asia Cup, which is a key part of our national squads’ strategy,” Head of Cricket Operations for the Japan Cricket Association Alan Curr said.



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"We are delighted that our partners felt the same and look forward to doing all we can to make these events happen."



All the matches in this tournament will have the full T20 International status, directly influencing participating nation’s international rankings.



China won the first season in 2015 and also the previously held one in 2019. They were the hosts and won the final by beating Hong Kong by 14 runs. Hong Kong were the winners in 2017.