Asia Cup 2023 draft schedule out: India vs Pakistan on September 2 in Sri Lanka
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The new draft schedule for Asia Cup is out and the much-awaited tournament will start from August 30, a day prior to what was decided earlier by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The opener will be played in Multan between Pakistan and Nepal.
The tournament, which is being played in Sri Lanka and Pakistan under a hybrid model, will see the high-octane India vs Pakistan match to be played on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, ESPNCricinfo reported. The draft, however, is expected to get some changes before the final version is announced.
The six-nation tournament has been in a lot of controversies ever since India decided not to travel to Pakistan - the original hosts of the tournament - owing to security reasons. The final solution saw Pakistan agreeing to host the 50-over tournament along with Sri Lanka.
Two groups of three teams each will play a total of 12 matches in groups and Super Fours stage before the final on September 17 in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan are placed with Nepal and India in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B. Apart from the opening match in Multan - a new addition in the draft schedule as opposed to the previous versions, Bangladesh vs Afghanistan on September 3, Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan on September 5 and a Super Fours match between A1 and B2 is scheduled to be played in Lahore, Pakistan.
It has also been mentioned in the schedule that regardless of where the teams finish in the group stage, Pakistan will remain A1 and India will be A2. As for the Group B, Sri Lanka will be B1 and Bangladesh B2. In the unlikely scenario of Nepal or Afghanistan making it to the Super Fours, they'll replace the knocked-out team in their respective groups.
In the scenario where India and Pakistan both advance to the Super Fours stage, they'll place on September 10 in Kandy.
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