Following a prolonged delay owing to disputes regarding host allocation, the dates and venues of Asia Cup 2023 have been finalised. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) have confirmed Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the two host nations of the competition, which will be played from 31 August to 17 September.
Of the 13 matches to be contested, four will be held in Pakistan. Albeit the schedule is yet to be released by the ACC, it is expected that the game between Pakistan and Nepal will be among the four matches to be contested in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, all of India's matches will be played in Sri Lanka, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) staying firm in its decision of not traveling to Pakistan. This includes India's group stage match against Babar Azam's side, and also the two possible meetings at a later stage – in Super Four and final.
"We are delighted to announce that the Asia Cup 2023 will be held from 31st August to 17th September 2023 and will see the elite teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal, compete in a total of 13 exciting ODI matches. The tournament will be hosted in a hybrid model with four matches being held in Pakistan, and the remaining nine matches being played in Sri Lanka," the statement from ACC read.
"The 2023 Edition will feature two groups, with two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will then face off in the final," it further added, providing clarity to hybrid model.
India in Group A
Six teams have been divided into two groups of three, with India facing Pakistan and Nepal in Group A. In Group B, defending champions Sri Lanka will be up against Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The top two each of each group will qualify for the Super Four round, wherein every team will take on the three others teams in a round robin basis.
Following that stage, the top two teams will qualify for the final, which will be played on 17 September. Should both India and Pakistan make it to the final, they will meet thrice in the span of less than three weeks.
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