The Asia Cup is set to witness three potential clashes
between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, on September 2 and 10, and possibly in
the final on September 17, with certain conditions in place.
Both teams are grouped with lightweights Nepal in their
three-team group, making a Super 4 clash on September 10 highly likely, after
the Rohit Sharma-led side kick-starts their Asia Cup campaign eight days
earlier against the Babar Azam's team. As the two heavyweight teams in the
continent, a third encounter between them in the final is a possibility.
The designated venues for the big, significant group and
Super 4 clashes are Kandy and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB), the nominated host of the six-team championship, has revealed that the
event will now have four venues instead of three, as was originally thought of.
India's match days are September 4 (vs. Nepal, group stage), September 12 (vs.
Sri Lanka/Afghanistan, Super 4), and September 15 (vs. Bangladesh/Afghanistan,
Super 4).
Colombo is the second hosting venue in Sri Lanka, with the R
Premadasa Stadium in Colombo getting to host games. The championship commences
in Multan on August 30 with a Pakistan-Nepal clash, and Lahore will host the
remaining three games allotted to Pakistan, including a second-round Super 4
match. In total, Sri Lanka will host nine games.
A notable feature of the schedule, revealed by Asian Cricket
Council president Jay Shah, is that the tournament will not follow a caravan
model, with teams travelling back and forth between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The
ACC will arrange both charter and commercial flights for the logistical
requirements.
The absence of semifinals means that India's other crucial
matches will be on September 12, against Sri Lanka, and September 15, against
Bangladesh -- both in the Super 4 stage. There is a possibility that one of
these matches could be against Afghanistan if they manage to outperform Sri
Lanka or Bangladesh and qualify for the Super 4 round. As mentioned above,
India's group-stage game against Nepal is scheduled for September 4 in Kandy.
The Sri Lanka leg of the championship opens on August 31 in
Kandy with a match between the home team and Bangladesh. Afghanistan will
launch their campaign against Bangladesh in Lahore on September 3, with the
hosts Pakistan playing two games at home, one of which could be a potential
Super 4 clash against Bangladesh or Afghanistan.
"We are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated
Men's ODI Asia Cup 2023, a celebration of cricketing excellence that unites the
nations of Asia in the spirit of competition and camaraderie. As president of
the Asian Cricket Council, I extend my warmest regards and heartfelt wishes to
all participating teams," Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, said.
Zaka Ashraf, the chair of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
added: "As Event Hosts, the ACC's Asia Cup 2023 schedule announcement
provides us absolute clarity on how we will plan and deliver this tournament so
that it is enjoyable for the participants and the fans. For Pakistan, it will
be the homecoming of the ACC Asia Cup after 15 long years. Our fans have waited
for this for a long time and, as such, we look forward to making it bigger and
better so that the fans and participants can start counting down days leading
up to the ICC Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will host in February
2025."
ASIA CUP SCHEDULE
Group A: India, Pakistan and Nepal
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan
Fixtures
August 30: Pakistan vs Nepal in Multan
August 31: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in Kandy
September 2: Pakistan vs India in Kandy
September 3: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan in Lahore
September 4: India vs Nepal in Kandy
September 5: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka in Lahore
September 6: Pak/Nepal vs Bangladesh/Afghanistan (Super 4)
September 9: SL/Afg vs Bang/Afg in Colombo (Super 4)
September 10: India/Nep vs Pak/Nep in Colombo (Super 4)
September 12: India/Nep vs SL/Afg in Colombo (Super 4)
September 15: India/Nep vs Ban/Afg in Colombo (Super 4)
September 17: FINAL