The schedule for this year's Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been finalized, according to The Press Trust of India. The tournament, which will follow the 50-over format, is scheduled to run from August 31 to September 17 this year and the official schedule is expected to be released on Friday this week.
Asian Cricket Council have adopted a hybrid model for the tournament, with the first four matches being held in Pakistan, followed by the remaining matches in Sri Lanka.
ALSO READ: Jay Shah rubbishes reports of Pakistan visit for 2023 Asia Cup
The highly anticipated match between India and Pakistan will be held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Pakistan's sole home match will be against Nepal and is likely to take place in Lahore. The other three matches in Pakistan are set to feature Afghanistan against Bangladesh, Bangladesh against Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka against Afghanistan.
The schedule was finalized during a meeting between Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, and Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). This meeting took place during the chief executives' committee (CEC) meeting of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) annual session in Durban, South Africa, on Tuesday.
Arun Dhumal, the current chairman of the Indian Premier League, stated, "Our secretary met PCB head Zaka Ashraf, and the Asia Cup schedule was finalized as discussed earlier. The tournament will include four league stage games in Pakistan, followed by nine games in Sri Lanka, including both the India versus Pakistan match and, if applicable, a third game if both teams make it to the final," according to PTI.
The participating teams, namely India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal, will compete in a total of 13 ODI matches. These teams have been divided into two groups. Group A consists of Pakistan, India, and Nepal, while Group B includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.