Tickets for Sri Lanka leg of Asia Cup to go on sale today

ISLAMABAD: The sale of tickets for the Sri Lankan leg of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 will go on sale from Thursday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. "The Pakistan Cricket Board as hosts of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 is pleased to announce the sale of match tickets for the Sri Lanka leg of the event. Tickets for the first phase of the Sri Lanka leg will go on sale from 12 pm (noon) PST on 17 August," said a statement from PCB on Wednesday.

The tickets will be available at pcb.bookme.pk. The announcement will be made through the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official social media channels. The second phase of ticket sales for the Sri Lanka leg will commence at 6:30 pm PST on August 17. This second phase of ticket sales will include the much-awaited fixture between Pakistan and India on September 2. Nine matches will be held in Sri Lanka, including the final.

The Sri Lanka leg will begin with the home side taking on Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on August 31. Last week, the tickets for the Asia Cup matches in Pakistan were put on sale. The tournament kicks off in Multan with the hosts Pakistan playing Nepal on August 30.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah, on July 19 announced the schedule for the Asia Cup 2023. The tournament will kick off on August 30, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan set to lock horns in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on September 2.

The tournament will follow a hybrid model, with four matches to be hosted by Pakistan and all of India's matches and a total of nine fixtures taking place in the Emerald Isle, Sri Lanka. India is in Group A, which also has Pakistan and Nepal, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

The tournament will kick off with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, Pakistan. India will start their campaign against Pakistan on September 2, in Kandy. They will be playing their second group stage match at the same venue against Nepal on September 4. Matches in the Super Four stage will start on September 6, with a clash between the A1 and B2 sides in the respective groups, at Lahore. The rest of the matches will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On September 17, the final will be held in Colombo. The tournament will be held in a 50-over format, keeping in mind the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted in India from October 5 to November 19. Sri Lanka is the defending Asia Cup champion, having won the title last year. They have won a total of six titles. India has been the most successful team in the tournament's history, with a total of 7 titles.