The Asia Cup 2023 is set to take place from Wednesday, August 30, and has slowly converted into a preparatory platform for the World Cup. Considering the format of the World Cup, the Asia Cup is shaped into the same format. Talking about the last edition of the Asia Cup, the Sri Lankan team sealed victory in the UAE, winning the title in the T20 format. But then this time, the Asian teams will be locking horns in the 50-over format of the game.
Since only sides like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, etc. play in the Asia Cup it is still seen as a preparatory event. The Asian Cricket Council conducts the Asia Cup these days in the same year when the World Cup is kicking off. Whatever format of the World Cup it is, be it 50 or 20 over, the Asia Cup adapts that form.
Asia Cup has a very rich history as back in 1984 it was organised in the ODI format but gradually things changed after the introduction of T20s. The last ODI Asia Cup was played in 2019 and the same year the last World Cup took place. The Indian team sealed the title that year despite most of the senior players being rested in the event.
Talking about the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup, the tournament will be hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Nepal will be marking their entry in the prestigious tournament for the first time after they won the ACC Men's Premier Cup 2023, where they defeated the United Arab Emirates in the final. The Asia Cup 2023 will start with the match between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan on August 30 (Wednesday) and the final is scheduled in Colombo on September 17.
Fans can watch the live telecast of the Asia Cup matches on the Star Sports Network. They can also live stream all the games on Disney+ Hotstar.