India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, UAE and Nepal will compete in the 2023 Asia Cup. Out of the six teams, one will bag the bragging rights of becoming the continental champions. ACC chairman and BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter and announced the schedule of the marquee competition.
He wrote,"I am happy to announce the schedule for the highly anticipated Men's ODI #AsiaCup2023, a symbol of unity and togetherness binding diverse nations together! Let's join hands in the celebration of cricketing excellence and cherish the bonds that connect us all. @ACCMedia1".
As earlier reported by Sports Tak, Pakistan and Nepal will lock horns with each other in the Asia Cup 2023's campaign opener on August 30 in Multan. Bangladesh will be up against Sri Lanka in Kandy on August 31 and then comes the most awaited battle, which will see the arch-rivals India and Pakistan battling out with each other on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The governing body had earlier confirmed that the competition will be staged as per the 'hybrid model'. As a result, Pakistan will host four matches of the tournament while the remaining nine matches will be played in Sri Lanka. The four Asia Cup matches scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan will take place across two venues in the country. One match will be played in Multan while Lahore will stage three contests.
As per the format, the six teams will be divided into two groups with each group having three teams each. The top two teams from each group will then qualify for the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will then cross swords in the title clash. In case India and Pakistan both qualify for the Super Fours, the arch-rivals will once again cross swords on September 10 in Candy, Sri Lanka.
A total of 13 matches will be played in the tournament. The 2023 Asia Cup will be played in a 50-over format and will serve as a preparation ground for the ODI World Cup which is scheduled to take place later in the year.
Here's how the Asia Cup 2023 schedule looks like:
Aug 30 Pak vs Nep - Multan, Pakistan
Aug 31 Ban vs SL - Kandy, Sri Lanka
Sept 2 Ind vs Pak - Kandy, Sri Lanka
Sept 3 Ban vs AFG - Lahore, Pakistan
Sept 4 Ind vs Nep - Kandy, Sri Lanka
Sept 5 SL vs AFG - Lahore, Pakistan
SUPER 4s
Sept 6 A1 Vs B2 - Lahore, Pakistan
Sept 9 B1 vs B2 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sept 10 A1 vs A2 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sept 12 A2 vs B1 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sept 14 A1 vs B1 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sept 15 A2 vs B2 - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sept 17 Final - Colombo, Sri Lanka
The last edition of the Asia Cup was played in T20 format in 2022. Under the leadership of Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the final and lifted the prestigious continental trophy.
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