The Asia Cup is a cricket tournament played in both the 50-overs and the 20-overs format. The first edition of the competition was held in 1984 in the 50-overs format, while the tournament was played in the T20 format for the first time in 2016. The tournament is organized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and features teams from Asian countries.
The exciting tournament will be conducted this year in the 50-overs format, keeping in mind the October-November window for the ODI World Cup.
The dates for the Asia Cup 2023 got announced on Thursday. The tournament will be hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a hybrid model, as proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It will take place from August 31 to September 17, according to a press release from the ACC.
The decision to adopt a hybrid model came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressed reservations about touring Pakistan for the Asia Cup. Initially, Pakistan was given the right to host the entire tournament. However, with the hybrid model, four matches will be played in Pakistan, and the remaining nine fixtures will take place in Sri Lanka.
The participating teams in the 2023 Asia Cup include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The tournament will feature a total of 13 ODI matches. The teams have been divided into two groups, with only two teams from each group advancing to the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will then compete in the final on September 17.
Group A consists of India, Pakistan, and Nepal, while Group B comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Each team will play against the other teams in their group.
It is worth mentioning that Nepal qualified for the main tournament by defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup earlier in the year. Sri Lanka are the defending champions, having won the previous edition by defeating Pakistan in the final held at Dubai International cricket stadium, Dubai.
