New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): Team India will play Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy in the 2023 Asia Cup, scheduled to start on August 30, said a report.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the tournament opener will be played in Multan with hosts Pakistan playing Nepal with the final scheduled in Colombo on September 17.

“Those matches feature in the latest version of the draft schedule which is likely to see further changes before the ACC announces the final version. The original draft schedule, prepared by the PCB (the hosting board), has already undergone several iterations mainly because of the six-nation tournament being played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka based on the hybrid model approved by the ACC recently,” it said.

“A total of 13 matches will be played in the tournament, all of which are scheduled to start at 1pm Pakistan Standard Time (1.30pm IST). Pakistan are grouped with India and Nepal in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage with the top two teams in this phase advancing to the final. The Asia Cup, which will be played in the 50-overs format this time, is essentially a preparation run for five of the six teams - barring Nepal - for the ODI World Cup which begins from October 5 in India,” it said.

IANS has learnt that the official announcement will be made on Wednesday evening.