The Asia Cup cricket tournament is set to begin on August 30, with India opening their campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
If both teams qualify, they might be in the final on September 17. Asian Cricket Council released the schedule on Wednesday.
The tournament, which serves as a precursor to the ICC World Cup, will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with four matches in Pakistan and nine in Sri Lanka.
While India, Pakistan and Nepal constitute Group A, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are in Group B.
The release said Pakistan will remain A1 and India will remain A2 irrespective of their positions after the first round. If either of them does not qualify, Nepal will take their position.
Similarly, in Group B, Sri Lanka will remain B1 and Bangladesh will remain B2. If any of these teams do not make it to Super 4s, Afghanistan will take their position.
While Pakistan were originally scheduled to host this year's Asia Cup, the Indian cricket board's refusal to send a team across the border. Pakistan will thus host a total of four matches while the remaining nine matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
After facing their arch-rivals in the tournament opener, the Rohit Sharma-led team will have a one-day break before they face Nepal on September 4 at Kandy.
Schedule:
Group stage
August 30: Pakistan vs Nepal, Multan
August 31: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Kandy
September 2: India vs Pakistan, Kandy
September 3: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Lahore
September 4: India vs Nepal, Kandy
September 5: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Lahore
(With PTI inputs)
