Bangladesh’s Asia Cup campaign to begin on 3 September
The forthcoming Asia Cup has been preponed by a day by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the revised itinerary and will begin on 30 August in Multan with the match between one of the hosts Pakistan and newcomers Nepal.
The date of the final has remained unchanged as it will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 17 August. Bangladesh are scheduled to start their campaign on 3 September at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is yet to approve the revised itinerary, reports cricket website espncricinfo.
This year’s Asia Cup will be played in a ‘Hybrid Model’ after India refused to travel to Pakistan, who were supposed to be the sole host of the tournament.
To sidestep the problem, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) proposed a ‘Hybrid Model’, where India will play all of its matches in Sri Lanka. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and ACC accepted this proposal in June, clearing the dark clouds hovering over the tournament.
According to the draft itinerary, the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash will take place on 2 September in Candy.
In total, 13 matches will be played in the tournament, which will be held in the 50-over format. All matches will start at 2:00 pm Bangladesh Standard Time.
In Group A, Nepal is accompanying heavyweights India and Pakistan. Bangladesh is in Group B alongside Afghanistan and co-hosts Sri Lanka.
The two top teams from each group will move on to the Super 4 phase. The two best teams from the Super 4 will play the final.
In the previous schedule, Lahore was supposed to host all four group-stage matches to be played in Pakistan. But PCB’s new chairman Zaka Ashraf has added Multan as the second venue for the group-stage. Multan, however, will host just the opening match while the other three group-stage matches and a Super 4 match will take place in Lahore.
Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been chosen as the top four teams in the competition and assigned as A1, A2, B1 and B2 respectively for the Super 4 phase whether they finish first or second in the group stage.
If Nepal or Afghanistan make it to the Super 4 phase then they will take the place of whichever team they eliminate from the group-stage.
The first Super 4 match will be played in Lahore on 6 September between A1 and B2, meaning Pakistan and Bangladesh if both teams manage to qualify for the Super 4. If Pakistan and India also qualify for the Super 4, they will face off on 10 September once again in Candy.