For the first time in history, the Asia Cup will be held in a mosaic manner. It will be the 16th edition of the prestigious tournament and it will be in ODI Format. Asia Cup 2023 will take place from 31st August to 17th September.
Hybrid Model:
At first, the Asia Cup 2023 was meant to be held entirely in Pakistan. But there has considerable debate and talks over Asia Cup`s venue especially due to BCCI and PCB`s stances regarding the occurrence of the event in Pakistan. In 2020, Pakistan Cricket Board decided to let Sri Lanka host that year’s Asia Cup, but the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the event kept getting postponed. Sri Lanka eventually hosted the 2022 edition, with Pakistan being the host for 2023.
The hybrid model was proposed as a solution due to India refusing to tour Pakistan owing to strained political relations between the two countries. The PCB, as appointed hosts, was keen to ensure that at least part of the tournament was played in Pakistan. The UAE was in the running as a neutral venue but Bangladesh raised concerns over the extreme weather there in September.
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Approval of a Hybrid Asia Cup 2023:
After a long time span backed up with debates and issues raised by both sides, now it has been officially announced by the ACC that the Asia Cup 2023 will be played in a hybrid manner i.e, 4 Matches will be played in Pakistan and 9 Matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
This will be the first time since 2008 that matches of a multi-nation tournament will be staged in Pakistan. “I am elated that our hybrid version for the ACC Asia Cup 2023 has been accepted,” Najam Sethi, chair of the PCB management committee, said. This means the PCB will remain as the event host and stage matches in Pakistan with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue, which was required due to the Indian cricket team’s inability to travel to Pakistan.
“Our passionate fans would have loved to see the India cricket team in action in Pakistan for the first time in 15 years, but we understand the BCCI’s position. Like the PCB, the BCCI also requires government approval and clearance before crossing borders.
“I now look forward to continuing our discussions and deliberations with the ACC and Sri Lanka Cricket to iron out a few minor operational and logistical details so that we can launch our event planning and preparations.”
Teams And Format:
Six teams will be participating in the tournament: Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal. These 6 teams will be divided into two groups. Out of which top 2 teams from both groups will qualify for the super-four stage. The top two teams from the Super Fours will then progress into the final. A total of 13 ODIs will be played.
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