Reports: India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash scheduled for September 2 in Kandy

Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has changed the opening date of the 2023 Asia Cup from August 30 to August 29, with Pakistan scheduled to play India on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the event will begin in Multan with hosts Pakistan taking on Nepal, with the summit clash set for Colombo on September 17.

These games are included on the most recent draft schedule, which is likely to undergo more changes before the ACC releases the final one. The six-nation tournament being held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in accordance with the hybrid concept recently accepted by the ACC has caused multiple changes to the original draft schedule created by the PCB (the hosting board).

The tournament will feature 13 games, all of which are set to begin at 1 in the afternoon as per Pakistan Standard Time, and 1.30 p.m. as per Sri Lanka and Indian Standard Time. Group A includes Pakistan, India, and Nepal, while Group B includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The teams finishing in top two in both groups will advance to the Super Four round, where the top two teams will advance to the championship game. With the exception of Nepal, five of the six nations in the 50-over Asia Cup are effectively preparing for the ODI World Cup, which starts on October 5 in India.

The PCB’s original plan was for Pakistan to host all four of its matches in a single city. But once the new PCB management, led by new chairman Zaka Ashraf, took over earlier this month, Multan was included as the second location. According to the draft schedule, Lahore will host three matches and one Super Fours game, while Multan will host just the first game.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh are scheduled to play each other on September 3 in Lahore, while Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will square off on September 5 at the Gaddafi Stadium. The draught schedule further notes that Pakistan and India, regardless of where they place in the first round, will continue to be A1 and A2, respectively, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will remain B1 and B2, respectively.

Nepal and Afghanistan would replace the eliminated team if they were to advance to the Super Four level. It will be either the spot of Pakistan or India in Group A or Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Group B. In the draft schedule, A1 and B2’s Super Fours game on September 6 is the only one that will take place in Pakistan. In the case of both India and Pakistan qualifying for the Super Fours, the two sides will meet again on September 10 in Kandy.