Naqvi announces venues for Asia Cup
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi announced the venues and match timings of the much-anticipated Asia Cup, slated to be held from September 9 to 28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Taking to his X handle, ACC chairman Naqvi said that the eight-team tournament will be played across two venues in the UAE – Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium will host eight Asia Cup 2025 matches, including one Super Fours clash on September 23. The majority of the continental tournament's matches, however, will be played at the Dubai stadium, including the blockbuster Pakistan-India clash on September 14 and the highly-anticipated final on September 28.
All of the matches will start at 6 PM as per the Gulf Standard Time, except for the September 15 clash between the UAE and Oman.
The upcoming edition of the continental tournament will be played in T20 format, serving as a preparatory event for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February.
A total of eight teams, divided into two groups, will vie for the prestigious title. Fierce rivals Pakistan and India are placed in Group A, alongside UAE and Oman, while Group B features Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.
The eight-team tournament will get underway on September 9 with a curtain-raiser between Afghanistan and Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will start their campaign against Oman on September 12 before taking on arch-rivals India on September 14.
The green shirts' remaining group-stage match is scheduled on September 17 against hosts UAE.
Upon completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the Super Four, meaning Pakistan and India may face each other once more in the Asia Cup on September 21.
The top two teams in the standings after the conclusion of the Super Four stage will qualify for the final, scheduled to be played on September 28.
Complete schedule
September 9: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong; Septembe 10: India vs UAE; September 11: Bangladesh vs Hong Kong; September 12: Pakistan vs Oman; September 13: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka; September 14: India vs Pakistan; September 15: UAE vs Oman; September 15: Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong; September 16: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan; September 17: Pakistan vs UAE; September 18: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan and September 19: India vs Oman
Super Four Stage:
September 20: B1 vs B2; September 21: A1 vs A2; September 23: A2 vs B1; September 24: A1 vs B2; September 25: A2 vs B2; September 26: A1 vs B1 an September 28: Final
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Siraj leads Ind to stunning win over Eng
Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill pose with the Rothesay and Anderson-Tendulkar trophies. Photo: AFP Mohammed Siraj was inspired as India took the last four wickets in under an hour to bowl England out for 367 and win an astonishing fifth Test by six runs to draw the series 2-2 on Monday. England had resumed on 339-6 in an atmosphere of unremitting tension at The Oval and a fired-up Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton before bowling Gus Atkinson to complete his five-wicket-haul. After Prasidh Krishna had bowled Josh Tongue for nought, Chris Woakes walked out to bat wearing a sling to protect his dislocated shoulder with 17 runs still needed. Atkinson hit Siraj for six to give England brief hope and cleverly protected Woakes from the strike, but player-of-the-match Siraj produced another brilliant yorker to earn India their narrowest-ever Test win. "With 60, 70-odd runs to win with seven wickets in hand you don't get to see many games like this," India captain Shubman Gill said. "Very happy to get this over the line, a little bit of luck for us." England, 301-3 at one stage, lost their last seven wickets for 66 runs, a collapse prompted by Harry Brook's reckless dismissal after he had made a superb century. India suddenly had a chink of hope and they took full advantage, removing Jacob Bethell and Joe Root (105) before bad light and rain ended the fourth day early. Packed Oval England still needed 35 runs to complete their second-highest Test run chase and by far the largest for any team on this ground. The Oval was full for the final act of a series that fluctuated wildly over seven weeks, and under grey skies one of the most dramatic Test endings duly played out. "It has been one of the all-time best Test matches," England coach Brendon McCullum said. "We turned up today with high hopes, but Mohammed Siraj and the passion of the Indian boys was too strong and ultimately they deserve to win this Test match," he added. "We had our chances, we will look back on our dropped catches and the position we were in with the bat." It was fitting that Siraj was India's hero because he had stepped over the boundary cushion after dropping Brook on 19 on Sunday, an error that looked likely to cost his team the match. Woakes was the not out batsman having not faced a ball but running bravely in obvious pain. "I didn't expect him to come out like that, batting with one hand. Kudos to him," Gill said after his team did a lap of honour. Stokes remains upbeat Stokes, who did not play in the match due to injury, watched on as the hosts collapsed from 301-3 to 367 all out to give India a share of the series. "Credit both teams. The amount of effort from both teams to end up here 2-2 is incredible," he told reporters. "The heart and passion and everything that was shown, especially in our second bowling innings, I thought was outstanding." Stokes, who scored a century and completed a five-wicket haul in the drawn fourth Test against India, said England had been well on top at various times in the final game under the captaincy of Ollie Pope. "We got ourselves into some good positions throughout the Test match, not just the last innings," he said. "To come within seven runs of victory, it's tough to look back and feel anything but disappointment." Stokes felt the loss of Chris Woakes to a shoulder injury on the first day had been a crucial factor. The all-rounder did come out to bat with a sling on to try to get England over the line but his absence along with that of Stokes and Jofra Archer left England with an inexperienced pace attack.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Mohsin Naqvi hails Pakistan's T20I series win
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi lauded the Green Shirts for their spirited performance throughout the series. Photo: AFP Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday congratulated the national cricket team on their impressive T20 series victory against the West Indies in the United States, describing the triumph as a result of outstanding teamwork and determination. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Naqvi lauded the Green Shirts for their spirited performance throughout the series. "Congratulations Team Pakistan on a fantastic T20 series win against West Indies in the USA! Great teamwork, determination, and spirit on display," he wrote. The PCB chairman emphasised that the players had made the nation proud by excelling on the international stage and expressed confidence in the team's ability to maintain its winning momentum. "Proud of our boys for making the nation proud on international soil. Keep the momentum going," Naqvi added. For the unversed, Pakistan secured a 2-1 victory in the three-match T20I series against West Indies by winning the third and final encounter by 13 runs on Monday at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground. Zaman ruled out Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the third T20I and the subsequent three-match ODI series against West Indies after sustaining a left hamstring strain during the second T20I. The injury occurred in the 19th over while Fakhar was chasing a ball in the outfield. Following a medical assessment, it was diagnosed as a mild strain. The team's medical staff provided immediate treatment and initial management. The opening batter is scheduled to return to Pakistan on the evening of August 4, where he will undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore under the supervision of the PCB medical team. The left-handed batter has struggled with form in recent outings, registering scores of 1, 44, and 8 in three matches against Bangladesh, followed by 28 and 20 in the first two T20Is against West Indies. This is not Fakhar's first injury setback in recent times. He suffered an oblique injury during Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener earlier this year and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament. Despite the discomfort, Fakhar continued to bat and managed 24 runs off 41 balls before being dismissed by New Zealand's Michael Bracewell. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 has approved Imam-ul-Haq as Fakhar Zaman's replacement in Pakistan's squad. Fakhar was also left out of both the ODI and T20I squads for the New Zealand series held in April this year.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Afg name preliminary squad for T20I tri-series
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday, announced a 22-member preliminary squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and the hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025. According to the cricket board, the preliminary squad, led by star spinner Rashid Khan, will partake in a two-week training and preparation camp ahead of the upcoming T20I assignments. The squad will be reduced to 15 players after the end of the two-week camp. For the unversed, the T20I tri-series is set to take place from August 29 to September 7 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. Afghanistan will start their tri-series campaign against Pakistan in the curtain raiser on August 29. This tri-series will serve as a crucial preparatory event for all three teams ahead of the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup, which is also scheduled in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The tournament will provide players with a valuable opportunity to adjust to local conditions before the continental showdown. Originally, Pakistan was scheduled to host Afghanistan in a bilateral T20I series in August. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) proposed converting it into a tri-nation series, moving the fixtures to the UAE to better prepare teams for the Asia Cup. Each team will face the others twice, ensuring that all sides play at least four matches before the top two teams advance to the final, scheduled for 7 September. Afghanistan's Preliminary Squad for T20I tri-series and Asia Cup 2025: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharoti, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Zadran, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad Lakanwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Farid Malik, Saleem Safi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Bashir Ahmad.
