After a tussle for months between the Indian and Pakistan cricket boards, the official schedule of the Asia Cup was
finally released on Wednesday. Pakistan retained the hosting rights but will stage only four of the 13 matches in
this biennial competition. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are the other teams in the field for this
ODI competition.
The tournament will begin on August 30 with Pakistan facing Nepal in Multan. Three other matches will be held in
Lahore, including one likely Pakistan Super 4 fixture on September 6. All the other matches will be played in Sri
Lanka, three in Kandy and six in Colombo, including the final on September 17.
The big-ticket India-Pakistan round robin clash will take place in Kandy on September 2 and the expected re-match in
the Super 4 stage is scheduled for September 10 in Colombo.
The commercial success of the competition hinges on the India-Pakistan showdown with a format tailor-made for them to
clash at least twice; both are placed in the same group with the Associate side (Nepal qualified). Regardless of
where India and Pakistan finish in the group stage, Pakistan will remain A1 and India A2, to meet India’s wish to
play only at a neutral venue.
PCB pushed for the tournament to be played at least in a hybrid model, salvaging four matches from being moved out of
the country. Whether this is a win of any sort for PCB is being questioned in Pakistan cricket circles. From the
time BCCI made it clear last October that it would
not play in Pakistan, PCB has seen three regime changes, each
advocating a slightly different bargain from the other.
India-Pakistan friction has dominated the Asia Cup history. Of the 15 editions held since it began in 1984, the
tournament has been played in India and Pakistan only once each. The only time the Asia Cup was held in Pakistan was
in 2008. It was also the last time the Indian cricket team played there.
In a tweet, BCCI secretary and Asian Cricket Council
president Jay Shah called the Asia Cup “a symbol of unity and
togetherness binding diverse nations together.”
From a cricketing standpoint, the tournament holds importance as its being played in an ODI format, serving as a
dress rehearsal for the teams ahead of the World Cup starting in India on October 5.
