The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has criticised the match schedules for the 2018 Asia Cup. The administrative body has also called for the match between India and Pakistan to be rescheduled.
According to a report in the Statesman, the Indian team will be playing the opening match against a qualifier and the very next day they will be battling it out with Pakistan. The BCCI has opined this decision to be ‘mindless’, as reported by CricketNext.
The Ring of Fire is gearing up for the biggest cricket clash in the UAE after 4,536 days when India and Pakistan clash on September 19 in the biennial Asia Cup in Dubai.
“Stadium preparations are in full swing for Asia Cup, be it venue operations or spectator experience, we are taking care of all the details,” Khalid Al Zarooni , President, Dubai Sports City (DSC), told Khaleej Times. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup, which will be held from September 15-28. The arch-rivals from the subcontinent last played a two-match ODI series in the UAE at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on April 18-19, 2006.
“The DSC management is excited and honoured to host the Asia Cup which puts UAE on the map for yet another large scale international event. We have a very busy season of international cricket ahead of us and we are glad to host all the teams,” added Al Zarooni
“This is the first time India and Pakistan will play in Dubai but we have seen so many of their exciting matches in the UAE for several years, especially in Sharjah,” Zayed Abbas, the Emirates Cricket Board member and official spokesperson told Khaleej Times.
Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the opener of the biennial tournament,that runs from September 15 to 28, according to a statement from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Group A consists of India, Pakistan and the qualifier while Group B comprises of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 and two teams will then play the final on September 28 in Dubai.
