Asia Cup 2023 to begin on August 31 as ACC approves PCB's hybrid model, Sri Lanka to co-host 9 ODI games

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Dubai, Jun 15: After days of confusion and suspense, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Thursday (June 15) announced the dates for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The continental competition - which will be hosted in the ODI format - will be held in a hybrid model as Sri Lanka will be the co-host.

The tournament, which will see six top teams from Asia compete for the coveted trophy, will begin on August 31 and conclude with the final on September 17.

In an official communique, the ACC said, "We are delighted to announce that the Asia Cup 2023 will be held from August 31st to September 17th 2023 and will see the elite teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal compete in a total of 13 exciting ODI matches."

"We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to witness this celebration of cricket at its finest," the Asian Cricket Council said in an official statement.

This is the first time when the tournament will be hosted in a hybrid model with four matches being held in Pakistan, and the remaining nine matches being played in Sri Lanka. The hybrid model was adopted because India denied travel to Pakistan due to severed bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested the hybrid model for co-hosting Asia Cup 2023 and it received the go-ahead from ACC. India matches, including India vs Pakistan, matches are to be played in Sri Lanka.

The competition will feature two groups and two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage and one team from every group will be eliminated. The top two teams from the Super Four Stage will then face off in the final.

The fixtures for the matches will be announced at a later date but the official announcement from ACC puts the suspense over the fate of the premier tournament to rest and comes as a major relief to Pakistan Cricket Board.