Asia Cup 2023: India-Pakistan clash scheduled on September 2
What's the story
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced the dates and venues for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to lock horns on September 2 in Kandy. Notably, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will host the tournament in a hybrid model between August 30 and September 17. The tournament will feature a total of 13 matches. Here are further details.
Twitter Post
Here's the full schedule
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 pic.twitter.com/9uPgx6intP
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 19, 2023
Format
Six teams will clash in 13 ODIs
Six teams - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal - will participate in a total of 13 ODIs throughout the tournament. The tourney will have two groups, with two teams from each of these qualifying for the Super Four stage. Group A includes India, Pakistan, and Nepal, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have been drawn in Group B.
Model
What is the hybrid model?
The 50-over Asia Cup was scheduled to take place entirely in Pakistan. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were in a standoff regarding the host country due to political tensions. The BCCI had made it clear that India will not travel to Pakistan. Therefore, nine of the 13 matches were moved to Sri Lanka.
India-Pakistan
No India-Pakistan engagement in bilateral series
India and Pakistan do not engage in bilateral international series due to political tensions. They only face each other in multilateral tournaments. The two countries recently clashed in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. The last India-Pakistan bilateral series was held in 2012 (in India) when Pakistan defeated India 2-1 in ODIs. Besides, India last visited Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup.
Points
SL enter as defending champions; India won in 2018
Sri Lanka will enter the 2023 Asia Cup as the defending champions. They won the T20I edition last year after beating Pakistan in a thrilling final. Notably, India failed to get past the group stage. The 50-over Asia Cup was last played in 2018 when India lifted the trophy under Rohit Sharma after defeating Bangladesh in the final.