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The much-anticipated mega-continental event of the year, Asia Cup 2023 is less than a week away. The forthcoming edition of the tournament will be its 16th edition, where Pakistan along with Sri Lanka will host it. This will be the first time in the history of the Asia Cup that two countries will be the joint hosts, where four matches will be played in Pakistan and the rest will be played in Sri Lanka.
While the prominent event brings out the best cricketing talent of Asian countries, another reason that makes it special and unique is that it is played in different formats. The 2022 season of the ACC event was played in T20I format, the upcoming one would be played in 50-over, ODI format.
The reason behind this is that in 2015 when the ICC downsized the ACC, it was decided that Asia Cup tournaments will be played on rotational basis in ODI and T20I format. Hence, in 2016, it was played in T20I format with the 2016 T20I World Cup approaching.
Speaking of 2023, the Asia Cup will see a return of the limited-over format because of the upcoming ODI World Cup, which will be hosted in India later this year. It will have two groups, with three teams each who will square off against each other in a single round-robin format. One team will be knocked out of the competition after the group stage, and the remaining teams will lock horns in the Super Four.
The season will commence on August 30, Wednesday, where Pakistan will take on Nepal in Multan. India, on the other hand, will begin their campaign on September 2, against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy.
