Sri Lanka to host 14th West Asian Baseball Cup

Sri Lanka is set to host the 14th West Asian Basseball Cup from July 15 to 20, 2019 at the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Baseball ground, Diyagama.

The ground at Diyagama was donated by Japan through its International Development Assistance with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and is South Asia’s only dedicated baseball venue.

Sri Lanka will host India, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal and Bangladesh at this first international event in the island following the unfortunate Easter Sunday attack.

Sri Lanka will go out to defend their maiden victory in winning the West Asia championship in 2017. This victory marked the pinnacle of a journey which began in 1985, after the introduction of the sport by American and Japanese missions.

Faizal Hussain, President of the Sri Lanka Basketball addressing the press at Jetwing Colombo Seven on Thursday said that the tournament is a testament to the growth of baseball in the country over the last few decades.

"We are proud to be able to host this year’s edition as the defending champions, though our journey is not over." He went on to say the achievement in 2017 was a momentous one, but we want to show that now we can be a consistent force and keep improving.

Sri Lanka has a proud record in the West Asian Baseball Championship, emerging runners-up to Pakistan in 2012 and 2013 and were outside the top three recently as 2015. Sri Lanka rose to the 41st place out of 127 playing nations as per the latest World Softball/Baseball Confederation rankings. Pakistan remains the top ranked West Asian team in 24th place while Iran (53), India (65), and Nepal (69) are placed lower in the list.

Staging this tournament offers a rare opportunity for Sri Lanka to send a message both to the world and itself, about its enduring ability to bounce back and make a mark on the world stage in the face of tragedy.