AMN
The schedule for 2018 Asia Cup has been announced with India set to play two ODIs on consecutive days. The biennial tournament, set to take place in the UAE from 15 September, sees Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face each other in the opening game in Dubai.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are all confirmed participants, with the remaining spot still up for grabs apmgst UAE, Singapore, Oman, Nepal, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Group A consists of India, Pakistan and the qualifier while Group B comprises 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 28 September in Dubai.
Defending champions India will face rivals Pakistan on 19 September the day after their opening game against the as-yet unconfirmed qualifiers.
Pakistan and India, the 2017 Champions Trophy finalists, are set to meet for the first time since that contest, with the announcement of the Asia Cup schedule confirming the date and venue of the clash.
Asia Cup 2018 full schedule
Group Stage
15 September – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)
16 September – Pakistan vs Qualifier (Dubai)
17 September – Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
18 September – India vs Qualifier (Dubai)
19 September – India vs Pakistan (Dubai)
20 September – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Super Four
21 September – Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
21 September – Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
23 September – Group A Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
23 September – Group B Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
25 September – Group A Winner vs Group B Winner (Dubai)
26 September – Group A Runner-up vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Final
28 September – Asia Cup 2018 Final (Dubai)
Six teams will take part in the Asia Cup, with the group stage divided into two groups for the first time. Pakistan and India have been pooled with one other team to be determined by a qualifying tournament that takes place from August 29 to September 6. The qualifying tournament features six teams: Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman and UAE.
The other group comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The six teams will then be cut down to four after the first round, with each of them playing the other in a round robin format. The top two will go through to the final, to be held on September 28.
The tournament will also revert to its traditional ODI format, which was last held in 2014 in Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka emerging victors. The 2016 edition was turned into a T20I tournament, serving as preparation for the World T20 that was to be held a month later. India were champions in 2016.