ASIA CUP SCHEDULE
The full schedule and programme is expected to be released in a staggered manner © AFP
All bottlenecks seem to have been cleared, and the Asia Cup – a championship long mired in controversy, contention and debate – is now well and truly on track. Cricbuzz understands that the schedule is likely to be announced within the next 24-48 hours, if not as early as Saturday (July 26).
After the recent meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in Dhaka, which itself was shrouded in controversy and acrimony because of the geopolitical situation and diplomatic strain between India’s eastern and western neighbours – Pakistan and Bangladesh, it was only a matter of time before the announcement came.
The full schedule and programme is expected to be released in a staggered manner – partially on Saturday, with the rest likely on Monday, if not all at once over the weekend. As previously reported by this website, the tournament is set to take place from September 10 to 28, although the dates may not be entirely final. Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE are expected to be the host cities.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the designated host of the continental championship, is working out on the final draft of the schedule. A little tweaking may take place but the overall window will remain the same – in the second and third week of September.
Following the Dhaka meeting (on Thursday, July 24), the matter was left to the BCCI. The Indian board had informed ACC members that a few loose ends with commercial partners needed to be tied up before finalising the tournament. The announcement is now expected to come from the BCCI via the official ACC platform.
As has been reported by this website, there will be eight teams – India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, UAE and Oman – with about 19 games with the final on the last Sunday of September. India and Pakistan are expected to be in the same group which means, potentially, there will be three contests between the arch-rivals – once in the league stage, next in the Super 4 round and then possibly in the final. Needless to mention, the tournament will be in the Twenty20 format.
© Cricbuzz
