Asia Cup schedule released as four matches to be played in Pakistan

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Jay Shah on Wednesday released the schedule of the much-awaited men’s Asia Cup with Pakistan set to host four matches in Multan and Lahore.

The tournament will start in Multan with Pakistan, which is the host of this year’s Asia Cup, to face Nepal on August 30.

Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the other three games that will be played in Pakistan. One of those games will be a Super 4s match.

As per the schedule, the final will be played in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 17.

The group match between Pakistan and India will be played in Kandy, Sri Lanka on September 2. The arch-rivals are in the same group as Nepal. The other group consists of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Interestingly, Shah, who is also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), tweeted the schedule of the tournament minutes before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was set to formally host an event of the unveiling.

“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,” Shah tweeted.

Earlier this year, the ACC approved a hybrid model for the Asia Cup, presented by then PCB Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi.

According to the hybrid model, the Asian event will take place in two phases, the first phase to be held in Pakistan and the other in Sri Lanka.

The schedule was finalised in a meeting between Sethi’s successor Zaka Ashraf and Shah on the sidelines of the chief executives’ committee (CEC) meeting of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) annual session in Durban, South Africa, last week.