The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is likely to approve Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB)'s hybrid model for this year's Asia Cup, with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue, where India can play their games. According to media reports, Pakistan will host four or five matches, while Sri Lanka will host the India-Pakistan games, including the final if India makes it.
As per reports, the announcement will come after the weekend and the window set for the tournament is currently between September 1-17. For the Pakistan, Lahore will likely be the host. The anticipated approval breaks the deadlock, which has dragged for quite some time and has threatened the fallout of the ICC events, including the 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.
The hybrid model came into the picture as India and Pakistan refused to travel to each other's country. India's refusal to go to Pakistan forced Pakistan to come up with this model to retain the hosting rights. While Pakistan had initially proposed UAE as one of the hosts, Bangladesh raised concerns over the weather conditions in the Middle East in September.
Pakistan finished as runners-up in the 2022 Asia Cup:
The Men in Green were the runners-up in last year's Asia Cup, losing to Sri Lanka in the final by 23 runs at the Dubai International Stadium. India have won the trophy most times, winning seven titles, while Pakistan have won only twice.
This year's Asia Cup is likely to have 13 games in 13 days and two teams will advance to the Super 4 round, with top two playing in the final. Hence, that leaves open the possibility of India and Pakistan locking horns in the final.
