India, Pakistan to face-off once again as Asia Cup 2023 details revealed; deets inside
India and Pakistan will face eachother one more time after the two teams were put in the same group of the Asia Cup 2023 which is scheduled to take place in September this year, Asia Cricket Council president Jay Shah announced on Thursday.
India and Pakistan have been joined by champions Sri Lanka in one group, followed by Bangladesh, Afghanistan and a qualifying team in the other. The Asia Cup 2023, will be played in the 50-over format as part of a build-up to the ODI World Cup.
In all 13 matches will be played apart from the qualifiers. These include six league matches six Super 4 games, with the two top teams getting to the final. However, just which country hosts the tournament remains to be seen after the ACC promised to appeal to the ICC to take the competition out of Pakistan.
"Presenting the @ACCMedia1 pathway structure & cricket calendars for 2023 & 2024! This signals our unparalleled efforts & passion to take this game to new heights. With cricketers across countries gearing up for spectacular performances, it promises to be a good time for cricket," tweeted Jay Shah.
Presenting the @ACCMedia1 pathway structure & cricket calendars for 2023 & 2024! This signals our unparalleled efforts & passion to take this game to new heights. With cricketers across countries gearing up for spectacular performances, it promises to be a good time for cricket! pic.twitter.com/atzBO4XjIn
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) January 5, 2023
India and Pakistan had put on a show when they locked horns in the 20-over Asia Cup last year. In the league stage, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a last-over thriller chasing down 148 with Hardik Pandya hitting the winning runs before Babar Azam led Pakistan pulled one back in the Super 4. India eventually was unable to qualify for Super 4 following a loss against Sri Lanka who later went on to win the cup defeating Pakistan in the final.
Then again, there is no clarity over the schedule or the venue. Pakistan originally got the rights to hosting this year's Asia Cup but BCCI are not keen to travel to the country to play because of the the political tensions between the two nations. Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had threatened a boycott of the 50-over World Cup in response to BCCI's standpoint, however with Najam Sethi taking over as the new chief, things might be different.
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First published: 5 January 2023, 14:58 IST
