Asia Cup to be held in hybrid model in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 17

The hybrid model was proposed as the BCCI had made it clear that it won’t send its team to Pakistan

Updated - June 16, 2023 07:59 am IST

The deadlock over the Asia Cup was broken last week when Jay Shah-led ACC accepted to host Pakistan Cricket Board’s hybrid model of conducting four non-India games in Pakistan. File

The deadlock over the Asia Cup was broken last week when Jay Shah-led ACC accepted to host Pakistan Cricket Board’s hybrid model of conducting four non-India games in Pakistan. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

Ending months of speculation around the Asia Cup, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on June 15 announced that the tournament will be staged in a hybrid model with four games in Pakistan and nine in Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 17.

The deadlock over the staging of the 50-over tournament was broken last week when Jay Shah-led ACC accepted to host Pakistan Cricket Board’s hybrid model of conducting four non-India games in Pakistan.

The hybrid model was proposed as the BCCI had made it clear that it won’t send its team to Pakistan due to the longstanding geo political tensions between the two countries.

“We are delighted to announce that the Asia Cup 2023 will be held from 31st August 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,” said the ACC in a statement 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.

The city Lahore will host matches in Pakistan while the games to be played in Sri Lanka will be held in Kandy and Pallekele.

The approval of the Asia Cup’s schedule also means that Pakistan will travel to India for the ODI World Cup in October-November. The arch-rivals are expected to face off at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad obn October 15.

It is understood that once ICC CEO Geoff Allardice and chairman Greg Barclay visited Karachi to meet PCB chairman Najam Sethi last month, it was decided that Pakistan won’t set any conditions for competing in the World Cup, provided four Asia Cup games are held in the country as they have the hosting rights.

Playing a tournament without Pakistan would have meant that the broadcasters would be giving half the amount committed for the tournament because of two assured India-Pakistan games and maybe a chance of a third, if the two teams reach the final.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.