Asian Cricket Council on Thursday announced the dates of the upcoming Men's Asia Cup 2023. The tournament which is set to witness regional teams having a crack against each other will be played in hybrid mode, the body confirmed. The Asian tournament will kick off on August 31 and the final will be held on September 17.
"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," ACC wrote in a statement issued.
What will be the hybrid model?
The Hybrid model that will be used for the tournament will see four matches being held in Pakistan, while the rest of the games will be played in Sri Lanka. The group structure is similar to that of the Asia Cup T20 in 2022. There will be two groups with three teams each in the tournament. The top two teams will qualify for the Super Four. The top two teams from that stage will then proceed to the final.
BCCI and PCB were at loggerheads over the venue of Asia Cup 2023. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had earlier stated that the Indian team will not be traveling to Pakistan for the continental tournament. The PCB were quick to react and they threatened to pull out from the World Cup. But the Pakistan Board then proposed a hybrid model to find out a solution for the stand-off.
Pakistan reportedly offered two options in its hybrid model. The first one includes India playing their matches at a neutral venue, while the other games will be held in Pakistan. The second one says that four group stage matches in the initial phase of the event will take place in Pakistan while the Indian matches in the second phase followed by next stage matches and the final to be played outside Pakistan.
