The Asia Cup schedule was launched on Wednesday. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will jointly host the tournament. India will play their matches in Sri Lanka, while Pakistan will have the opportunity to play against Nepal and one of the qualifiers in the Super Fours on their home ground. Nine matches will be held in Sri Lanka and the final too will be played in Colombo. Pakistan, the original hosts, have got four matches. The much-anticipated India Vs Pakistan clash will be in Kandy, Sri Lanka, as both teams are drawn in Group A. However, there is a notable difference in their schedules.
India will play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka, while Pakistan will start with their opening fixture in Lahore, followed by the match against India in Sri Lanka. As per the schedule, there is also a two-day gap between the two games. Additionally, if Pakistan qualifies for the Super Fours, they will fly back to their home turf and then head to Sri Lanka again.
This schedule has not gone down too well with former Pakistan captain, Salman Butt. The hectic traveling and lack of rest for Pakistan has irked Butt who believes that the schedule has not taken into consideration the well-being of Pakistan players.
“It's a very strange schedule. Pakistan are playing their first match in Pakistan, then they will travel to Sri Lanka for the second match. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will play their first match in their home, and when they have to travel to Pakistan for the second game, they have a 4-5 days gap,” Butt said.
“Pakistan, who are originally the host nation, have only got two days gap. We never cared about our players.”
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, has clarified that irrespective of the positions after the first round, Pakistan will be designated as A1 and India as A2. If either of them fails to qualify, Nepal will take their place. However, if both sides qualify, their super four match will be held in Colombo.
Similarly, in Group B, Sri Lanka will be designated as B1 and Bangladesh as B2 irrespective of the results. However, if any one of these teams fails to qualify for Super Fours, Afghanistan will take their spot.
