In the group stage of the Asia Cup, Bangladesh has been drawn alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Liton Kumar Das and his team will begin their campaign with a clash against Hong Kong.
The 17th edition of the Asia Cup is set to take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The news was announced on Saturday afternoon by Mohsin Naqvi, head of both the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), through his X account. A few hours later, the ACC officially released the full groupings and match schedule.
This year’s tournament will be played in the T20 format, serving as preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Once again, arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group. Group A also includes Oman and hosts UAE.
Bangladesh will play their first Group B match on September 11 against Hong Kong. The following day, Liton, Mustafizur, and their teammates will face Sri Lanka. Their final group-stage match is scheduled for September 16 against Afghanistan.
The tournament will kick off with the Hong Kong vs Afghanistan fixture on September 9. On the next day, India will take on the UAE, while Pakistan’s opener is set for September 12 against Oman.
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will be played on September 14.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, where each team will play the others once. The top two teams from that round will then battle it out in the final on September 28.
