Bangladesh begin Asia Cup campaign against SL on 31 August
The much-awaited schedule for the men's Asia Cup was announced on Wednesday, with the iconic clash between India and Pakistan taking place on 2 September in Kandy.
The schedule for the 2023 Asia Cup was announced on Wednesday, with India taking on arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy. Bangladesh will begin their campaign on 31 August at the same venue.
The much-awaited schedule for the men's Asia Cup was announced on Wednesday, with the iconic clash between India and Pakistan taking place on 2 September in Kandy.
There were significant speculations over the Asia Cup this year over India's matches in the edition after it was originally scheduled to take place in Pakistan. It was reported earlier this month that officials from BCCI and PCB met in Durban, where it was eventually decided that India would play their Asia Cup games in Sri Lanka.
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The blockbuster clash between the two arch-rivals takes place in Kandy, while co-hosts Pakistan will meet Nepal in the tournament's opener on 30 August. The final takes place on 17 September in Colombo. India, Pakistan and Nepal are drawn in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan make Group B in the 2023 edition, which will be played in the ODI format.
It will be the first Asia Cup to be co-hosted by two countries; while Pakistan will host four matches, the remaining 9 will take place in Sri Lanka. Incidentally, this is also the first Asia Cup edition to be hosted in the sub-continent since the 2016 tournament, that took place in Bangladesh. Since then, the Asia Cups in 2018 and 2022 took place in the United Arab Emirates.
Like the 2022 edition, the top-2 teams will qualify for the Super Fours, where each team will take on the other once. The top-2 teams will then qualify for the final. Justifiably, the 2023 Asia Cup could see India and Pakistan meeting thrice in a fortnight. The two teams will also meet in the ICC World Cup in Ahmedabad on 15 October.
The 16th edition of the continental tournament will also feature a debutant in Nepal; the side qualified for Asia Cup in May earlier this year when it defeated the UAE in the final of the ACC Men's Premier Cup. The senior team is currently taking part in the Emerging Team Asia Cup as well.
