Jay Shah, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), announced the groups of Asia Cup 2023. India and Pakistan have once again been placed in the same group, while it has also been confirmed that the tournament will be held in September.
Like the last edition, there will be two groups of three teams each, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage of the tournament. The 2023 edition, however, will see the competition returning to the ODI format.
There will be 13 matches in total in the Asia Cup 2023, six of which will be group stage fixtures. The Super Four stage will have six more matches, followed by the all-important final.
"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!" Shah tweeted.
India and Pakistan will be joined in their group by the team who will top the qualifying stage. Meanwhile, the second group will feature defending champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The venue for the 2023 Asia Cup is yet to be announced.
Tournaments Aplenty in Two-Year Programme
Before this competition, the Indian women’s emerging team will feature in the Women’s T20 Emerging Asia Cup in June, which will then be followed by the Men’s Emerging Asia Cup in July. Later in December, the men’s U19 team will feature in the Men’s U19 Asia Cup.
As for the 2024 calendar, the Women’s T20 Asia Cup will be held in September, which will be followed by another instalment of the Men’s U19 Asia Cup. Following the July 2023 edition, the next edition of the Men’s Emerging Asia Cup will be staged in December 2024.
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