The Asia Cup 2023 official schedule has finally been released after much anticipation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will co-host this competition, which promises to be a display of supreme cricketing ability. Here is a detailed schedule for the Asia Cup 2023, complete with dates, locations, and match times.
The 50-over format will be used for the 2023 Asia Cup, which will be held in the final months of this year and right before the eagerly awaited ICC World Cup. The Asia Cup schedule has been decided upon after careful thought and study despite the political tensions between Pakistan and India.
It was already known that Pakistan and Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup, with India’s matches taking place later. However, in anticipation of the Asian Cricket Council’s judgment on the current edition, the final fixture schedule saw a number of alterations in the draft version.
Six teams will be split into two groups of three each in the first round, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the Super Four stage. The final will then feature the top two teams from the Super Four. The teams have been split up as follows:
Group A: Pakistan, India, Nepal
Group B: Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka
Asia Cup 2023 Schedule: Venues
The main draft schedule for the Asia Cup is scheduled to begin on August 30, one day before the first match. The remaining nine matches will be held in Sri Lanka, in Kandy and Colombo, while four games will be played in Pakistan in Multan and Lahore.
The tournament will kick off with Pakistan taking on Nepal in Multan, and the championship game will be played in Colombo’s R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
Asia Cup 2023 Schedule: Full Fixture List (All times local)
- August 30: Pakistan vs. Nepal, Multan, Pakistan, 2:30 PM
- August 31: Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 2: Pakistan vs. India, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 3: Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan, Lahore, Pakistan, 2:30 PM
- September 4: India vs. Nepal, Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 5: Sri Lanka vs. Afghanistan, Lahore, Pakistan, 2:30 PM
- September 6: Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group B, Lahore, Pakistan, 2:30 PM
- September 9: Runner-up Group A vs. Runner-up Group B, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 10: Winner Group A vs. Winner Group B, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 12: Winner Group B vs. Runner-up Group A, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 14: Winner Group A vs. Winner Group B, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 15: Winner Group A vs. Winner Group B, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
- September 17: Final (Super Four 1 vs. Super Four 2), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3:00 PM
Pakistan and India will be designated as A1 and A2, respectively, if they meet the requirements. Nepal will take either slot A1 or A2 if it manages to qualify higher than any of them.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be referred to as B1 and B2, respectively, in Group B. Afghanistan will occupy any open spot in the Super Four if they advance from the preliminary round.
As the participating nations compete for victory in this prestigious competition, the Asia Cup 2023 offers exhilarating cricketing action, setting the backdrop for an exciting match-up.
History of the Asia Cup: A Journey of Cricketing Excellence
The Asia Cricket Council (ACC) was founded in 1983, marking the beginning of the Asia Cup. The ACC’s primary objectives were to promote cricket as a sport and to cultivate goodwill among Asian countries that play the game.
India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka played in the inaugural Asia Cup in 1984. India triumphed in the round-robin format, winning the trophy with two victories. Pakistan struggled to record a single victory, while Sri Lanka finished second with one victory.
The second competition took place in 1986, with Sri Lanka serving as the host nation. Bangladesh made its debut, however India withdrew due to tense relations about cricket with the host country. Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup for the first time.
Bangladesh made its maiden appearance as a multi-nation tournament host in 1988 when it hosted the first-ever four-team Asia Cup. India won against Sri Lanka and took home their second trophy. Despite Pakistan’s absence from the 1990–91 Asia Cup owing to political unrest, India was nevertheless able to successfully retain their championship. Because of the fragile political ties between India and Pakistan, the 1993 Asia Cup was postponed.
With a third straight victory over Sri Lanka in the 1995 Asia Cup final, India’s hegemony over the sport was cemented. India did not, however, make it to the championship game in Bangladesh’s 2000 hosting of the event. Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka to win their first championship.
Notably, the eighth edition of the Asia Cup in 2004 saw a substantial alteration to the tournament’s format. UAE and Hong Kong participated in the Sri Lankan competition, which had three stages: the group stage, the super fours, and the championship match. Three teams each made up Groups A and B, with the top two from each group moving on to the Super Fours. In the 2004 championship game, Sri Lanka defeated India by 25 runs to win. Sri Lanka won its fourth Asia Cup title against India in 2008 thanks to the format’s ongoing use in later editions.
In 2010, the tournament’s round-robin structure was reinstated, with only the four Test-playing nations taking part. After a 15-year wait, India finally won their fifth championship by defeating Sri Lanka in the championship game. Afghanistan made its debut at the 2014 Asia Cup, which Pakistan and Sri Lanka won in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
When the ICC declared in 2015 that the Asia Cup will alternate between the ODI and T20I forms, the introduction of the T20I format represented an important turning point for the competition. This change was made to help prepare Asian teams for World Cup competitions in the future. India defeated Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final, which marked the tournament’s introduction of the T20I format.
Prior to the 2019 ODI World Cup, the Asia Cup returned to the ODI format in 2018 and once more used the three-stage system. India defeated Bangladesh to win the competition. Prior to the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, the most recent Asia Cup finished with Sri Lanka defeating Pakistan in the championship final.
As Nepal qualifies in the Asia Cup for the first time in 2023, the event will be historically significant. The Asia Cup continues to be expanding, giving Associate teams the chance to play against strong Test-playing teams like Pakistan and India. Matches between minor cricketing nations in Asia gained significance thanks to this exposure to emerging teams, which is precious. The Asia Cup’s vibrant atmosphere continues to be driven by the desire to win and display talent among the sport’s greatest.