Shahid Afridi hopes Asia Cup to become 'true celebration of the sport'

Sharing a special message ahead of Asia Cup 2023, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi sent his best wishes to the national side and hoped that the Green Shirts would play with passion and bring glory to the country.

“Excited to see the #AsiaCup kick off in Pakistan after 15 years!,” Afridi posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Let's also extend our warmest hospitality to all other teams and make this tournament a true celebration of the sport!”

The Asia Cup 2023 will begin today with Pakistan, the top-ranked One-Day International side, facing Nepal in the Group A clash at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Nepal, as a team, and Multan, as a venue, will make their debut in the Asia Cup. It is also the first match between Pakistan and Nepal at the top level.

The fans will be treated to an absorbing opening ceremony before the match, which begins at 14.30 PST.

The 2023 Asia Cup will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17.

All the matches of Asia Cup will not be played in Pakistan because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send their team to Pakistan due to security concerns.

Four matches will be played in Pakistan, while nine, including the final, will be played in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

The T20 and ODI formats have alternated at the Asia Cup since 2016. The 2023 edition will be played in the 50-over format in order to help the teams prepare for the World Cup in India later this year.

India are the defending champions of the 50-over Asia Cup, which was last held in 2018.

Complete schedule

Group Stage

Aug 30 - Pakistan vs Nepal in Multan at 2:30 pm (PST)

Aug 31 - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in Kandy at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 2 - Pakistan vs India in Kandy at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 3 - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan in Lahore at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 4 - India vs Nepal in Kandy at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 5 - Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka in Lahore at 2:30 pm (PST)

Super 4s

Sept 6 - A1 vs B2 in Lahore at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 9 - B1 vs B2 in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 10 - A1 vs A2 in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 12 - A2 vs B1 in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 14 - A1 vs B1 in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 15 - A2 vs B2 in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

Sept 17 - Final in Colombo at 2:30 pm (PST)

*Positions irrespective of teams' positions after first round

- Pakistan will remain A1

- India will remain A 2

- If either of them (India and Pakistan) don't qualify for Super 4s then Nepal will take their position

- Sri Lanka will remain B1

- Bangladesh will remain B2

- If either of them (Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) don't qualify for Super 4s then Afghanistan will take their position