Asia Cup 2023 Dates Announced, Tournament To Be Held in Hybrid Model

The Asia Cup 2023 will take place from August 31 to September 17, the Asian Cricket Council announced on Thursday. The tournament will feature India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal with the teams competing in a total of 13 ODI matches. The release from the ACC confirmed that the tournament will be held in a hybrid model where Pakistan will host four matches while the remaining nine matches will take place in Sri Lanka.

There was uncertainty over Pakistan hosting any matches but the new model will allow them to host Asia Cup games after 15 years.

The 2023 edition of the tournament will have two groups with the two top teams moving to the Super Four stage. As per the Asian Cricket Council, only 4 matches will be held in Pakistan in the Asia Cup while 9 games will be held in Sri Lanka.

Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were at loggerheads over the venue of the Asia Cup for months. The BCCI had refused to send its team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, prompting the ACC to seek a solution.

While Pakistan were unwilling to move the entire tournament out of Pakistan, they eventually proposed a hybrid model that will see some games being held in the country and some in Sri Lanka.

The Asia Cup logjam had also affected the scheduling for the ODI World Cup which is to be held in India later this year. With the schedule for the Asia Cup and its venues now final, the ICC is likely to announce the ODI World Cup schedule soon too.