Pakistan was named as hosts twice but failed to stage the event on both occasions due to cross-border political tensions.

The ACC will now sit to find a suitable time for the ninth edition of the tournament, informed ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq.

There was more good news for the Asia Cup contestants after the regional cricket body decided to give each of the major nations a handsome purse.

It was learnt earlier that the four Test-playing nations would receive one million dollars for participation but it also decided to allocate 2.5 million dollars each to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

The two associate members, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, will get three lakh dollars each.

After deducting two-million-dollars as expenditures, the rest of the 19-million-dollar earnings will be used to run ACC's activities and to fund the Asian Cricket Founda-tion.

JAYASURIYA'S LAST?
Perhaps Sanath Jayasuriya has played his last Asia Cup.

The explosive left-hander failed deliver his usual fireworks in front of a packed crowd when he was dismissed in the seventh over of the match off the bowling of Irfan Pathan, the tournament's leading wicket-taker.

But at least Jayasuriya bowed out by establishing himself as the highest run-getter in Asia Cup history. He entered the record books taking over from his former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga in the previous match.

Jayasuriya took his run aggregate to 842, which is 101 runs more than Ranatunga.

With hundreds against Bangla-desh and India, Jayasuriya totalled 293 runs in the meet, second only to Pakistan's Shoaib Malik's tournament best 316 also with two tons.

COME ON SRI LANKA
Sunday's final crowd, approximately 25,000, at the Premadasa Stadium turned out to be the biggest for the tournament.

There were a few thousand supporters from India but it was the hosts, who made the atmosphere electric, and outnumbered the visitors.

They were chanting non-stop while a tireless band played in the stands. Even the early departure of both Lankan openers could not dampen their spirits. At every opportunity the local fans waved national colours.

And when it was last man Muttiah Muralitharan's turn to bat, the Lankans cheered wildly as the master off-spinner scored his first run.