In an unexpected turn of events, Jay Shah, the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), took the spotlight away from Chaudhry Muhammad Zaka Ashraf, Chair of the PCB Management Committee, by unveiling the highly anticipated schedule of the ACC Asia Cup 2023.

Ashraf was supposed to unveil the schedule and the trophy of the ACC Asia Cup 2023 at 7.15 pm (Pakistan time) on Wednesday in Lahore.

Surprising many, Shah's announcement surfaced on Twitter just 45 minutes prior to the planned unveiling ceremony, catching the cricketing community off-guard. The Asia Cup is set to be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Some onlookers have speculated that Shah's decision to preempt the event and disclose the schedule himself was a calculated move to overshadow Ashraf, who was originally expected to make the announcement.

On the other hand, there are those who believe that the unexpected development might have been a result of miscommunication or a simple misunderstanding.

Ashraf eventually unveiled the schedule as well the trophy of the 2023 Asia Cup at trophy unveiling ceremony in Lahore.

While speaking at the event, Ashraf said, "It's a big achievement of PCB that after 15 years Asia Cup is coming back to Pakistan. It's an opportunity for us to host the cricket nations. We welcome all the participating nations in our country and we look forward to hosting them."

The tournament, which was initially planned to begin on August 31, will now kick off on August 30, with Pakistan taking on Nepal in the opening match in Multan.

This year's Asia Cup will be played in the 50-overs format, featuring 13 matches.

In Group A, Pakistan will lock horns with arch-rivals India and Nepal, while Group B will have Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, where they will vie for a spot in the final. The tournament's final is slated for September 17 in Colombo.

Schedule:

30 Aug – Pakistan v Nepal, Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan, Pakistan

31 Aug – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka

2 Sep – Pakistan v India, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Kandy, Sri Lanka

3 Sep – Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan

4 Sep – India v Nepal, Pallekele International Cricket stadium Kandy, Sri Lanka

5 Sep – Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan

6 Sep – A1 v B2 (Super-4), Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan

9 Sep – B1 v B2 (Super-4), R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

10 Sep – A1 v A2 (Super-4), R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

12 Sep – A2 v B1 (Super-4), R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

14 Sep – A1 v B1 (Super-4), R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

15 Sep – A2 v B2, (Super-4), R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

17 Sep – Final - 1 v 2, R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, Sri Lanka

18 Sep – Reserve day for the final