India, Pakistan in same group for Asia Cup 2023 as Asian Cricket Council announces calendar

Jan 06, 2023

India, Pakistan in same group for Asia Cup 2023 as Asian Cricket Council announces calendar Image

When announcing the cricket schedule for 2023–24, Jay Shah, president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), stated that India and Pakistan would be playing in the same group for the September 2023 Asia Cup.

Bangladesh, the reigning champions Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and a team from the qualifying rounds will also be competing alongside India and Pakistan in the tournament. The host location for the Asia Cup 2023, however, is not mentioned in the schedule.

The "route structure and cricket calendars" for cricket in Asia were released on social media by Shah, who also serves as the Honorary Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

According to the schedule, ACC will host 145 matches in both ODIs and T20Is during the course of its two-year cycle. In keeping with the cycle, 75 games will be played in 2023 and 70 games are scheduled for 2024. Also returning is the men's developing (U23) Asia Cup.

India and Pakistan will be placed in the same group with a qualification for the women's Asia Cup, which will take place in September 2024. In the other group, Sri Lanka will be joined by Bangladesh and another qualifier.

The Men's Challengers Cup, a ten-team 50-over competition that will feature Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Maldives, Thailand, Iran, and two yet-to-be-named teams, will begin 2023 in accordance with the new calendar. Two groups of five teams each will be formed out of the teams.

A 35-over men's under-16 regional event will take place in March. Eight teams from different regions will compete in the competition. The Men's Challengers Cup's champions and runners-up will advance to the Men's Premier Cup, a 50-over competition.

Ten teams will compete in the competition, which will be held in April, split into two groups of five teams each. Along with Men's Challengers Cup qualifying, the teams are UAE, Nepal, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The Men's and Women's 50-over Emerging Teams Asia Cups will take place in June and July respectively. Men's U19 Challenger Cup, Men's U19 Premier Cup, and Men's U19 Asia Cup will follow the Men's ODI Asia Cup in September, taking place in October, November, and December, respectively.

The Men's and Women's T20 Challenger Cups will kick off 2024 in February and March, respectively. The Men's and Women's T20 Premier Cups will come after it in April and May, respectively.

The Men's U19 Asia Cup and Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup will take place in October and December, respectively, after the Women's T20 Asia Cup in September.