Sports
Swarajya Staff
Jul 20, 2023, 03:02 PM | Updated 03:02 PM IST
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The schedule for the Asia Cup 2023 was officially announced on Wednesday.
India and Pakistan are set to face each other for the first time in the championship in their Group A match at Kandy in Sri Lanka on 2 September. However, this may not be the only time they meet in the competition.
The top two teams from both groups - Group A and B - will move to the Super Fours stage, where all teams will play each other once.
The Group A comprises of India, Pakistan and Nepal while the Group B has Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
According to the release shared by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah, Pakistan will be A1 and India will be A2, regardless of their positions in the group stages.
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
Therefore, if both teams qualify from Group A, they will face each other in the Super Fours stage on 10 September in Colombo.
The top two teams in the Super Fours stage will advance to the final of the tournament.
If India and Pakistan secure their spots in the summit clash, they will meet for the third time in the competition on 17 September.
The match will be held at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The six-team ODI tournament, which serves as a pre-cursor to the ICC World Cup, will commence on 30 August in Multan, where hosts Pakistan will take on Nepal.
The Asia Cup is being played in a Hybrid Model, with four matches scheduled to be held in Pakistan and nine other games, including the final, taking place in Sri Lanka's Kandy and Colombo.
Pakistan was initially supposed to host this year's Asia Cup. However, due to the Indian cricket board's decision to not send a team across the border, some matches were shifted to Sri Lanka.
Four venues in Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be used for the 13-match competition.
In Pakistan, Multan will host the tournament opener between Pakistan and Nepal on 30 August before the action shifts to Lahore for the remaining three matches.
Sri Lanka will use Kandy for the three first round matches and Colombo for the five Super-4 stage fixtures and the 17 September final.
In their tournament-opener, the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma will face their arch-rival Pakistan. They will then have a one-day break before their match against Nepal on 4 September in Kandy.