There may be a total of three matches between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup!
Asian Cup 2023: There is a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming edition of the Asian Cup, the famous tournament between cricket-playing nations on the Asian continent. This time, the Asian Cup is constantly in the headlines, and the reason for this is that the screw is stuck in place. Pakistan has the host of this tournament. At the same time, the Indian side has refused to travel to Pakistan. Since then, the dispute over the venue has continued. Recently, a report came to light that Pakistan will host the tournament and the matches of all the teams except India will also take place in Pakistan. But an overseas place will be decided for the India team.
Now, if we talk about that place abroad, then many names are being discussed. In recent years, only India and Pakistan have met multiple times in multinational tournaments. Before that, there has also been a clash between the two teams several times in the United Arab Emirates. In such a situation, the United Arab Emirates may be the first choice for the venue. Apart from this, locations in Oman and Sri Lanka are also being considered. On the other hand, a new and unique name that appeared in the reports was that of England. The England venue can also be considered in terms of viewership, but its chances are slimmer. So far, ACC (Asia Cricket Council) and PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) have not made any official announcement on this issue.
Will there be 3 matches between India and Pakistan?
Now, if we talk about the format of the tournament, then this time there will be an Asian Cup in ODI format that can be played in the month of September. This will be a good preparation for the ODI World Cup to be held this year. On this occasion, a total of 6 teams will also participate, which will be divided into 3-3 groups. India and Pakistan will be in the same group where the first match between the two in the league phase will be played. After this, if both teams go to Super 4, then a clash between India and Pakistan is also possible. After this, if India and Pakistan remain on top in the Super 4, then there may be a battle between the two arch-rivals in the final as well. In the next tournament a total of 13 games will be played. As of now, any kind of official schedule and venue details are awaited.
The political stalemate between India and Pakistan has been ongoing since the 26/11 attacks. After that, only once was there a bilateral series between the two countries in which Pakistan toured India. Other than this, both countries do not play bilateral series anywhere. Both teams meet only in ICC events or in the Asian Cup. The last time India and Pakistan met was in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where Virat Kohli’s heroics saw India win. Prior to that, both teams had also met in the 2022 Asian Cup and both had won one match each. Last year the Asian Cup was organized in T20 format.