This year’s Asia Cup will be played in the 50-overs format, featuring 13 matches
In a surprising twist of events, Jay Shah, the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), stole the limelight from Chaudhry Muhammad Zaka Ashraf, Chair of the PCB Management Committee, as he revealed the highly anticipated schedule of the ACC Asia Cup 2023.
Originally, Ashraf was scheduled to unveil the Asia Cup 2023 schedule and trophy at 7.15 pm (Pakistan time) on Wednesday in Lahore. However, to the astonishment of many in the cricketing community, Shah made the announcement on Twitter just 45 minutes before the planned unveiling ceremony, catching everyone off-guard. The Asia Cup is set to be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
There have been speculations among onlookers regarding Jay Shah’s decision to take charge and reveal the schedule before the event. Some suggest it was a strategic move to overshadow Ashraf, who was supposed to be the one making the announcement initially.
On the contrary, others believe that the unexpected turn of events might have been due to miscommunication or a simple misunderstanding.
In the end, Chaudhry Muhammad Zaka Ashraf did unveil the schedule and trophy of the 2023 Asia Cup during the 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
