After India and Pakistan were locked in a war of words, the wait for the Asia Cup deadlock to be broken has been a long one. But ending all debate, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Thursday, confirmed that the tournament will be played between August 31st to September 17.
The ACC further added that the proposed hybrid model had been accepted and the multi-nation tournament will get underway with four matches being held in Pakistan.
After hosts PCB conduct the first four games in Pakistan, the tournament will then shift to Sri Lanka for the last nine matches. India will play their matches in Sri Lanka.
In a statement, ACC announced, “We are delighted to announce that the Asia Cup 2023 will be held from 31st 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 tournament will be held in ODI format this year with six teams competing.
While Nepal will be making their maiden appearance in the tournament, the other teams in the fray include – hosts Pakistan, defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
For the upcoming edition, India have been grouped with arch-rivals Pakistan and Nepal in the league stage, while Bangladesh, defending champions Sri Lanka and Afghanistan make up the second group.
ACC’s statement further added, "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."
"We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to witness this celebration of cricket at its finest.”
In the previous edition Sri Lanka bagged the title with a win over Pakistan in the final.
