Asia Cup 2023: Why continental cricket showpiece is played in ODI this year?

The Asia Cup 2023 starts on Wednesday (August 30) with hosts Pakistan taking on debutants Nepal in the opening game at Multan Cricket Stadium. The much-awaited continental showpiece event hosted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is being played in a hybrid model.

After reluctance of the BCCI to send the Indian team to host nation Pakistan, a handful of matches have also been given to Sri Lanka. India will play all their matches in the island nation due to their strained political relation with Pakistan.

The Asia Cup 2023 is being played in the ODI format this time around as Pakistan and Sri Lanka are joint-hosts. The last edition in 2022 was held in the T20I format in the UAE, which Sri Lanka won by defeating Pakistan in the summit clash. In fact, 13 out of the 15 editions have been held in the ODI format.

Why Asia Cup is played in ODI and T20I format | Explained

This year's Asia Cup returns to the 50-over format. A decision to host the Asia Cup in ODI and T20I format was taken in 2015 to help the Asian teams prepare better for the ICC World Cups in the two formats. The first-ever Asia Cup in T20I format was held just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2016 in Bangladesh.

India won that competition under the leadership of the then captain MS Dhoni by defeating hosts in the final. The Men in Blue reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2016 held in India. Their journey ended in the competition after losing to eventual champions West Indies in the knockout stage.

The tournament was played in ODI format in the 2018 edition as the ODI World Cup was scheduled to be held in 2019 in England and Wales. Similarly, the last Asia Cup was played under the T20I format ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

India is hosting the ODI World Cup 2023 this and therefore the 16th edition of the Asia Cup will be played in the ODI format. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal are participating in this edition of Asia Cup.