Asia Cup 2023: Salman Butt calls the schedule unfair to Pakistani players

The Asia Cup schedule was launched on Wednesday. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will jointly host the tournament. India will play their matches in Sri Lanka while Pakistan will get to play against Nepal and one of the Super Four qualifiers at their home ground. Nine matches will be held in Sri Lanka and the final will also be played in Colombo. The original host Pakistan has got four matches. The much-awaited India vs Pakistan match will take place in Kandy, Sri Lanka as both the teams are in Group A. However, there is a notable difference in their schedules.

India will play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka, while Pakistan will start with their opening match in Lahore, which will be followed by a match against India in Sri Lanka. According to the schedule, there is also a gap of two days between the two matches. Additionally, if Pakistan qualify for the Super Fours, they will return to their home ground and then travel to Sri Lanka.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has not liked this schedule. Pakistan’s hectic travel schedule and lack of rest has irked Butt, who believes the schedule has not taken into account the well-being of Pakistan players.

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“It is a very strange programme. Pakistan is playing its first match in Pakistan, then it will go to Sri Lanka for the second match. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will play their first match at home and when they have to go to Pakistan for the second match, they will have a gap of 4-5 days,” said Butt.

“Pakistan, which is basically the host country, has got a gap of only two days. We never cared about our players.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Jay Shah has clarified that Pakistan will be designated A1 and India A2, irrespective of the situation after the first round. If any of them fails to qualify, Nepal will take their place. However, if both sides qualify, their Super Four match will be held in Colombo.

Similarly, in Group B, Sri Lanka will be designated as B1 and Bangladesh as B2, regardless of results. However, if any of these teams fail to qualify for the Super Four, Afghanistan will take their place.