The Asia Cup 2023 tournament is set to begin a day earlier than planned on August 30 and will see archrivals India and Pakistan clash on September 2nd in Kandy. The tournament will be played in 50-over format as preparation for the World Cup which will be played in India.
As per an ESPNCricinfo report, the Asia Cup 2023 will begin with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan with the final scheduled in Colombo on September 17. Those matches feature in the latest version of the draft schedule which is likely to see further changes before the ACC announces the final version.
A total of 13 matches will be played in the tournament, all of which are scheduled to start at 1 PM PST or 1.30 IST. Pakistan is grouped with India and Nepal in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage with the top two teams in this phase advancing to the final.
The PCB was scheduled to host all four matches as per the hybrid model in just one city, but the new administration under Zaka Ashraf has added Multan as a venue as well. In the draft schedule, Multan is scheduled to host just the opening match with Lahore staging three matches and one Super Fours game.
Bangladesh is slotted to play Afghanistan on September 3 in Lahore followed by Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan at the Gaddafi Stadium on September 5.
Also as per the draft schedule, regardless of where they finish in the first round, Pakistan will remain A1 and India A2 while Sri Lanka will be B1 and Bangladesh B2. However, if Afghanistan or Nepal qualify for the Super Four round, they will replace the team that is knocked out in the league stage.
The only Super Fours match listed in the draft schedule to be played in Pakistan is on September 6 between A1 and B2. In case both Pakistan and India advance to the Super Four stage, they will play again on September 10 in Kandy. Dambulla is the other Sri Lankan venue listed to host three matches in the Super 4s stage.
(ESPNCricinfo report)
