MULTAN: The Pakistan team has reached Multan for the upcoming ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, which will be played from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The team management has provided relaxation to the players who participated in the Lankan Premier League, consequently, Babar, Imam-ul-Haq and Naseem Shah will join the side on Monday evening. The team will relax tomorrow, and kick off their training for the Asia Cup on Tuesday, 29 August at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Before the start of the session, the Pakistan captain will hold a pre-series media conference. Pakistan made a change to their Asia Cup squad yesterday, as left-handed batter Saud Shakeel was added to the 17-member squad, while Tayyab Tahir was demoted to the travelling reserves.

This year’s Asia Cup will kick off with host Pakistan taking on Nepal in the curtain raiser on August 30 in Multan. Pakistan will host a total of four matches including a Super 4s fixture. India’s group stage matches including the anticipated clash against Pakistan, scheduled on September 2, will be held in Kandy while the rest of the Super 4s matches, including the final will be played in Colombo. The arch-rivals Pakistan and India will come face to face again on September 10 in Colombo if both manage to qualify for the Super 4s.

Like the previous edition, the Asia Cup schedule holds a possibility of treating the cricket fans with a maximum of three Pakistan-India matches in a single tournament if both arch-rivals, in a first, simultaneously qualify for the final. The upcoming edition of the Asia Cup features six teams, divided into two groups, the top two teams from each group will then qualify for the Super 4s. The continental event will run from August 31 to September 17. Hosts Pakistan are placed in the same group as arch-rivals India and Nepal while the other group includes defending champions and co-hosts Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The Asia Cup 2023 will be played in the ODI format and will serve as an opportunity for the Asian teams to bolster their preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup. Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 28 2023

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