Pakistan: On Wednesday, the schedule for the 2023 Asia Cup was released. The schedule was first released by Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI and the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
As one of the co-hosts of the continental competition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organized an unveiling ceremony to make the schedule official.
Former Pakistani players and Zaka Ashraf were there. There, Ashraf made a funny error accidentally. He made the error of referring to fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as a top 10 hitter when discussing Pakistan's prospects in ODIs.
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"There is strength in both our batting and bowling. If you talk about batting, our captain is number one [ranked batter] in the world. If you talk about others, then Pakistan batters are among the top-five [in the rankings]," Ashraf said during the ceremony.
"If you talk about Shaheen Shah Afridi, his name comes in the top 10 batters. So, the way Pakistan team is playing, my best wishes are with them."
Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq are third and fourth in the ICC ODI rankings, respectively, while Pakistani skipper Babar is placed first. Afridi, a left-arm pacer, is now the No. 9 bowler in ODIs, yet as a hitter, he is not even close to being in the top ten.
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After Shah stated last year that India would not be traveling to Pakistan for the event, the Asia Cup is now being contested in a hybrid format. On August 30, a game between Pakistan and Nepal will kick off the competition in Multan, Pakistan.
On September 2, the eagerly anticipated match between India and Pakistan will take place in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The second group stage match will take place against Nepal on September 4 at the same location.
Three group stage matches and one Super Four stage match will be played in Pakistan. The remainder of the competition will take place in Sri Lanka. On September 17, the final will take place in Colombo.
