The hybrid model adapted by hosts Pakistan for conducting the ongoing 16th Asia Cup has forced Babar Azam’s men to travel almost every second day.
The Men-in-green left for Lahore early Sunday after the abandoned tie against arch-rivals India at Pallekele in Sri Lanka last night. Pakistan opened their campaign with a massive 238-run win over Nepal in Multan on August 30 and flew out to Sri Lanka to take on India on September 2 in Kandy.
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Now, back home they will play one of their Super Four match on Wednesday. Their opposition is still not fixed. It could either be Bangladesh or Afghanistan. And if the pre-event seeding is taken into account, the hosts will once again have to take the flight to Colombo where Rohit Sharma’s side awaits them on September 10.
According to the pre-event seeding, irrespective of their position in the first round, Pakistan will be designated as A1, India as A2, Sri Lanka as B1, and Bangladesh as B2. In the scenario where Nepal and Afghanistan qualify for the Super Four stage, they will replace the teams that are eliminated from their respective groups.
For Group A, either Pakistan or India will make way for Nepal, while in Group B, either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh will make way for Afghanistan. The final will be played in Colombo.
The hybrid model had to be adapted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the Indian board had cited security concerns and ruled out travelling to the neighbouring country for the six-nation tournament. Over the last decade, the two neighbours have only played against each other in multi-team events at neutral venues.
Both India and Pakistan splitted points after the wash-out on Saturday, and Pakistan advanced to the second round having already beaten Nepal. Meanwhile, India will take on minnows Nepal on Monday, and a win over the Himalayan nation will take the Men-in-Blue through to the next round.
